Daily Devotion for June 13

Verse
Psalm 37:8 (ESV)
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Meditation
The psalmist gives pastoral counsel to the soul tempted by injustice and stirred by the apparent success of the wicked. He speaks not only to outward actions—anger and wrath—but to inward agitation, the restless fretting that corrodes trust. This kind of vexation is not neutral; it leads toward evil. To refrain from anger is not mere passivity but active trust in the Lord's justice. Forsaking wrath means relinquishing the illusion that we must set all things right. God sees, God knows, and God will act in His time. Faith calls us to wait upon Him, to labor in righteousness, and to guard the heart from the bitterness that arises when evil seems to triumph. The righteous live not by reaction, but by reverent confidence in the Lord’s governance.

New Testament
Romans 12:19 (ESV)
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Old Testament
Proverbs 14:29 (ESV)
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Collect
Gracious Lord, who judges all things in righteousness, free us from anger and anxiety, that we may wait upon You in faith and not fall into evil, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn Verse
Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy:
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.
— Lord of All Hopefulness – LSB 738:1