Let us start this post with the beginning of Psalm 37:
Fret not yourself because of the wicked,
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
2Â For they will soon fade like the grass,
    and wither like the green herb.
3Â Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security.
4Â Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
6Â He will bring forth your vindication as the light,
    and your right as the noonday.7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over him who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9Â For the wicked shall be cut off;
    but those who wait for the Lord shall possess the land.
10Â Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look well at his place, he will not be there.
11Â But the meek shall possess the land,
    and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
(Psalm 37:1-11)
Patience is a virtue urged here. We are called to wait upon the Lord and His time. I think I can speak for all my believing readers that this is usually easier said than done. When we want something, we want it now. Even when, or perhaps especially when, that something comes from God. But God has an entirely different perspective on time than us mortals:
For a thousand years in thy sight
    are but as yesterday when it is past,
    or as a watch in the night.
(Psalm 90:4)
St. James offers some thoughts on time and human presumption in his letter to the Church:
13Â Come now, you who say, âToday or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gainâ; 14Â whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15Â Instead you ought to say, âIf the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that.â 16Â As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17Â Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
(James 4:13-17)
Each day is a gift to us from God. We are not owed it. As a gift, we should treasure it and use it for all its worth. Do good today, for we know not what tomorrow may bring.