Wait patiently!

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes" (Psalm 37:7).

As Christians, how should we conduct ourselves in business? How should we live as Christians in the workplace? We can either do things with a people-centered approach or a God-centered approach. Psalm 37 reveals two phenomena that may occur when we live a people-centered life, whether in business or at work:

First, we complain and envy those who do evil.

Look at Psalm 37:1: "Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity."
The person focused on people in business or in the workplace may complain and feel envy towards evildoers because their paths seem to prosper (v. 7). They use "wicked schemes" to achieve worldly success, which makes it easy for the righteous to fall into sin through complaints and envy (v. 7). In a competitive society, it can be difficult to overcome the feeling of comparison. Instead of looking to God, we may focus on people and, in the midst of the righteous' suffering and the wicked’s prosperity, complain and envy their success.

Second, we become angry with God (v. 8).

Complaints and envy towards the prosperity of the wicked eventually lead to anger towards God.
This "only leads to evil" (v. 8). The complaints and envy directed at evildoers don’t remain with them; they can easily turn into anger towards God. If we deeply examine the anger of Christian businesspeople or workers, it is doubtful whether that anger is truly directed towards God or not.

So, how do God-centered businesspeople or workers live? We can think of two things:

(1) Wait patiently in silence, trusting in God (vv. 7, 9).

Knowing that the end of the prosperity of the wicked is destruction (Psalm 74), he waits patiently in silence, trusting in God. He knows that God will reject the wicked’s evil schemes and their temporary "prosperity" will be quickly overturned, which is why he can endure patiently. Instead of rejoicing in the world’s "prosperity," he rejoices in God (v. 4), commits his way to God (v. 5), and practices righteousness and justice (v. 6).

(2) Diligently do good (Psalm 37:3).

Even in difficult and challenging circumstances, the one who trusts in God and diligently does good is the true Christian businessman or employee, centered on God. The one who "feeds on faithfulness" (v. 3) is confident that God will fulfill the desires of their heart (v. 4), and because of this, they never stop doing good, no matter the situation.

Are we living as Christian businessmen or employees, centered on God? Or are we living with complaints, jealousy, and anger, without trusting in God, not rejoicing in Him, and not committing our way to Him? Those who rejoice in God, trust in Him, and commit their ways to Him are the ones who wait patiently and diligently do good. May we all be those who wait patiently in the Lord.

In the Lord,

Pastor James Kim
(After visiting the business of a church member and leading a service there)