Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 ESV

Psalm 73 is a Psalm attributed to Asaph. Asaph was the music directed of King David who himself wrote most of the Psalm. But in Psalm 73, Asaph tells us how for a while he’d questioned the faithfulness of God toward his own. He tells us how much he envied the wicked because he looked at their lives and saw how much they prospered and how they had everything they wanted. But when he looked at his very own life and those of other God-fearing people, all they had were trials, troubles, tribulations and afflictions.

This was something he couldn’t understand. Why would a godly man like him be afflicted with so much troubles and pain and lack, while the wicked lived in prosperity and ease? He goes on to describe how he began to trip and slip until he got heavenly perspective. Check out verses 2, 3 and 17:

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned…

So today I would like to share from Psalm 37 and Psalm 73 fifteen things you can do when everyone else seems to be doing well and getting ahead and you are not. Even when your enemies and wicked people seem to be prospering in life and nothing seems to be happening for you, let these fifteen biblical principles be a guiding light:

Fret not, and be not envious…
Trust the Lord
Delight yourself in the Lord
Commit your way to the Lord
Be still
Wait patiently
Refrain from being angry at God
Lay low – in other words be meek before God
Be worshipful – psalm 73:17
Rest in the peace of God
Be Content
Be thankful
Be confident that God never fails
Pray for wisdom, understanding and perspective
Live in a daily revelation of His grace

At the end of the day I am confident that you will come to the very same conclusion as Asaph did when he wrote:

… I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.