As entrepreneurs and business leaders, it’s easy to look around and compare ourselves to others. We might become envious and even discouraged when we see people succeed by cutting corners, compromising integrity, or mistreating others. However, we can gain perspective by looking at the wise reflections of a veteran leader who understood these concerns and specifically addressed them in a timeless piece of encouragement. That leader is King David, and the piece of encouragement is Psalm 37.

Written by David, not in the zeal of youth but from the vantage point of maturity (“I was young and now am old” (v. 25)), this psalm is less a song of praise and more a wise elder’s reflection. Psalm 78:72 tells us David led “with integrity of heart and with skillful hands.” He was an accomplished leader, known for both faith and failure. Here in Psalm 37, he urges his readers not to get caught up in comparing their path with those who seem to prosper without integrity. Instead, he calls us to a long obedience rooted in trust, patience, and uprightness.

David begins the Psalm by addressing head-on the temptation to worry and envy:

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Psalm 37: 1-2 (NIV)

In this opening encouragement, and throughout the Psalm, David points out that the success of evil-doers, though it may impress for a time, is ultimately short-lived. In contrast, David encourages us to delight in the Lord and commit our ways to him:

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

Psalm 37: 3-6 (ESV)

David’s advice reorders our priorities. Instead of first seeking our accomplishments and adding prayer and dependence upon God as a support to our own goals, David instructs us to find our delight in God first and trust him to act. David’s words also challenge how we often approach business planning. As Ric Boxx, founder and CEO of the Unconventional Business Network, observes:

One common mistake I’ve seen in business planning is to first develop our plans, then pray that God blesses our plans. But Psalm 37 reveals a progression in business planning God’s way. First, we trust in the Lord, then we delight ourselves in the Lord. This sets the stage for the next step.

Throughout the rest of the Psalm, David’s perspective challenges our usual definitions of success. He reminds us that God measures accomplishment differently than the world does, and His rewards often unfold over time:

• “The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever” (v. 18),
• “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way” (v. 23), and
• “Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.” (v. 37).

As leaders, this psalm invites us to hold our ambitions with open hands. We work hard, build well, and make wise decisions, but we do so rooted in trust, not driven by comparison. The temptation to measure our impact by worldly standards will come, but David’s counsel is clear: God Himself is the one who establishes our steps.

Consider taking a few minutes this week to read prayerfully through all of Psalm 37, asking God to reorient your heart and mind as you steward the enterprise He has entrusted to you—especially in the places where results feel slow or comparison creeps in.

Verse of the Week

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Psalm 37:5 (ESV)

As you lead, where do you feel the tug to compare yourself to others who are “getting ahead” the wrong way? What would it look like this week to rest in God’s timing and “trust in the Lord and do good”?