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Psalm 37:7

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.

5Commit your way to the LORD. Trust also in him, and he will do this:
6he will make your righteousness shine out like light, and your justice as the noon day sun.
7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.
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← Psalm 37:6Psalm 37:8 →
Notice

Wicked plots that succeed are the setting for this command to rest, where waiting for God can feel hardest.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What example of wrongdoing that prospers, if any, makes this command hard for you to receive?

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What might resting in YHWH look like while that wrongdoing remains unresolved?

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What difference do you see between waiting for God and approving what the wrongdoer does?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

11 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Proverbs 3:5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.Both direct trust toward the LORD: Proverbs warns against relying on your understanding, while the psalm warns against fretting over wicked success.
Psalm 37:1By David. Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.Both forbid fretting because of evildoers, with verse 7 naming the particular distress of seeing their plots succeed.
Psalm 27:14Wait for the LORD. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the LORD.Both command waiting for the LORD; Psalm 27 pairs that waiting with strength and courage.
James 5:7–11Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it …Both teach patience directed toward the Lord; James pictures a farmer waiting for fruit, while the psalm addresses successful wrongdoing.
Psalm 42:5Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.Both turn troubled attention toward God, though Psalm 42 speaks of despair and Psalm 37 of fretting over wicked success.
Hebrews 10:36For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise.Both describe a need to endure delay: the psalm commands waiting for the LORD, and Hebrews names endurance before receiving the promise.
Psalm 62:5My soul, wait in silence for God alone, for my expectation is from him.Both direct the soul to wait for God, joining rest or silence with expectation centered on him.
Lamentations 3:25–26The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.Both speak of waiting for the LORD; Lamentations declares his goodness to those who wait for him.
Proverbs 20:22Don’t say, “I will pay back evil.” Wait for the LORD, and he will save you.Both command waiting for the LORD in the face of evil; Proverbs forbids revenge, while the psalm forbids fretting.
Lamentations 3:26It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.Both join waiting for the LORD with stillness, expressed as rest in the psalm and quiet hope in Lamentations.
James 5:8You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.Both command patience toward the Lord; James connects patience with his coming, while the psalm addresses the success of wicked plots.
Where this verse fits

Injustice and anger. envy and comparison. waiting.

What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about patience →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Pause for two minutes after reading Psalm 37:7

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Encouragement

The psalm names wickedness without disguising its success. You are told to wait with that wrong still in view; the surrounding verses promise that God will bring justice.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 37:7. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 37 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).