Devil Storms and Beans

(Pro 24:19 KJV)  Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;

As I was trying to be spiritual my wife let me know that if I didn’t take things off the front porch we would die in the next 24 (48?) hours from the devil storm that was coming our way.  She knows this is true because she saw it on the internet.  Needless to say she is fretting.  Eventually she will actually be right.  Devil storms do happen.  This is not the kind of fretting that is being talked about in this verse.

What Proverbs is comforting us about is the kind of things we see going on in the political realm.  We are told we are on the cusp of World War III and that Putin is rattling his nuclear sabers.  We are warned of coming starvation:  Today infants, tomorrow the world.  The list goes on.  

So?  We are told not to “fret” (2734).  Does that mean don’t buy some extra oatmeal and cans of beans?  No.  That is called being sensible and planning for the fluctuations of life.  It means not living in doom and gloom.  Don’t forget that God dealt with the enemies of Israel.  Of course you might also remember that He dealt differently when they were living in obedience than He did when they were being hedonistic pagans.