Our world is full of (and has always been full of) evil people doing evil things. Our reaction to this should be (and has always been) not to worry. But we do. In fact, we often overreact. We attempt to isolate ourselves (and our families) from danger. Certainly, there are some practical things we can do, but to believe we can eliminate danger from our world and prevent it from happening to us is futile. We cannot control evil and God has not put us into this world in order that we should isolate ourselves from its dangers. Instead, God tells us to not fret: “Fret not yourself because of evildoers.”1
Oddly enough, another common reaction to evil people doing evil things is to envy them! It is a subtle reaction of wanting to get away with things just like the evil people do. It is our way of fighting back and we call it justice when, in fact, we have simply become evil people ourselves (as do our families and others looking for justice in this world)! Of course, we should be angry when evil things occur, but our reaction should not be to act like evil people! God tells us not to be envious of others for getting away with wrongdoing: “Be not envious of wrongdoers!”1
A third reaction to evil people doing evil things is to talk endlessly about the danger, which causes us (and our families and everyone within earshot) to worry even more about the danger. We discuss laws and social media, family life and parental responsibility, punishment and justice. Talking can be helpful because our sorrow is real and deep, but talking too much (as well as listening to the news too much) often causes more stress than the danger itself. God tells us to “be still before the Lord.”2
We should not be surprised at the evil in our world, we should not be fretful about the evil people in our world, we should not become like the evil people in our world, and we need not talk about it endlessly because “it tends only to evil.”3 Those are things we should not do.
Okay. What should we do? “Trust in the Lord.”4 Instead of being anxious, we are to trust God. “And do good.”4 Instead of doing evil, we are to do good. And “be still before the Lord.”2 Instead of talking about what should and should not be, we are to be still. Also, it does help me to remember that God is sovereign and he will punish the evildoers. “The evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.”5
But as believers we need to do more than that. When bad things happen—and especially when bad things happen to good people—we need to spread hope. Conversations about evil things will spring up everywhere; people are desperate for answers. What an opportune time for us to share the hope of living for God.
We should not overreact to evil. We are not to react at all! Instead, we need to respond with wisdom for “the mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart: his steps do not slip.”6 And what is this wisdom? What is this justice? How do we keep from becoming evildoers ourselves? What do we tell others? Here it is in a nutshell: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”7
So, remember: “Fret not yourself because of evildoers.”1
1Psalm 37:1 2Psalm 37:7 3Psalm 37:8 4Psalm 37:3 5Psalm 37:9 6Psalm 37:30-31 7Psalm 37:5