A godless world, with enemies of God seeming to have control, is not new.
It was a problem thousands of years ago, just as it is today.
Psalm 10:1
Why, O LORD, do
you stand far away?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
I am in Italy right now, where elections were held on Sunday. Watching
the empty promises of men, the total disarray of the country, the lack of
direction, the financial difficulties of people, the emptiness of the voters’
lives, the triumph of the atheists, and the wickedness of the ones who have
governed for the past 50 years, made these verses seem very timely.
In a couple of days, the pope of the Roman Catholic Church will leave
his post and the procedure for the election of a new pope will go into effect.
The confusion and the questions surrounding this decision have caused many to
question what the religion of the state actually is.
The past elections of the president of the United States have caused
many to wonder what direction our country is taking.
A godless world, with enemies of God seeming to have control, is not
new. It was a problem thousands of years ago, just as it is today. The psalmist
describes a world where the wicked oppress the poor, the powerful rule over the
weak, men live to satisfy their own lusts, men boast of their wicked deeds,
and, in their arrogance, they assert that there is no God.
So many today are careless about God’s commands, and act as if they are
in total control of their own lives.
Watching the world superficially, one can see scarce cause for hope.
The weak and the needy are severely oppressed, and are then tempted to wonder
if God even cares or if He is really in control.
Have you ever wondered where God is? Have you questioned if He really
cares? There is so much evil in the world. Animals are protected more fervently
than unborn humans. The wicked get richer, while the ones who are honest seem
to be in continuous need. Families are victims of the behavior of the ungodly.
Deranged people walk into schools and kill innocent people. Diseases are
causing young and old to suffer. Has God turned His face away? Has God
forgotten His own?
The psalmist cries out to God for relief.
Psalm 10:12
Arise, O LORD; O
God, lift up your hand;
forget
not the afflicted.
As I read this psalm, I cannot overlook the pain of some dear loved
ones who are suffering right now. What is God doing? What does He want from us?
What is our hope?
My first thought is that God wants us to focus our trust upon His
kingship and will, rather than upon the pursuits of this passing world. He wants
us to trust Him to deal justly with the wicked, who despise both the afflicted
and God, Himself. (Psalm 10:3-11)
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all
that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and
pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is
passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides
forever.
God wants our grip on the things of the world to be loosened. He wants
us to desire Him more than anything else. He wants us to desire what is
eternal. I know for sure that an easy life can be much more spiritually dangerous
for us than injustice or material needs are.
What a wonderful gift, to have our attention redirected to Him and become
more and more able to see our dependence upon Him.
Believers have nothing to fear:
1 Corinthians 15:54-55
When the perishable puts on the
imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the
saying that is written:
“Death
is swallowed up in victory.”
“O
death, where is your victory?
O
death, where is your sting?”
Paul had the right focus: an eternal perspective on both the present
and the future.
Philippians 1:21-26
For
to me to live is Christ, and to
die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.
Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My
desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain
in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all,
for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample
cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Paul knew that, as long as he was alive, he was to live for Christ. He lived for the progress of the Gospel in the
world and for the spiritual progress of believers. His comfort or safety was
not what produced joy in him.
The psalmist, in his cry to the LORD, did not lose faith, but was
secure in God’s care.
Psalm 10:16-18
The LORD is king
forever and ever;
the
nations perish from his land.
O LORD, you hear
the desire of the afflicted;
you
will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
to do justice to
the fatherless and the oppressed,
so
that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
The LORD is sovereign; He will take care of His own. He is totally
aware of the needs of those who depend on Him. He will answer their cries in
due time and during the hardships, He will fortify their hearts. I have watched
suffering believers grow closer to God and find in Him strength that was very surprising
to the unbelievers who knew them. God is carefully involved in our lives; He is
active in bringing us closer to Him. His work is to produce sanctification in
us. He never stops, He is always timely, and He is always caring.
May we, too, be totally aware of these truths, as we live in this world
where the wicked seem to be prospering. May we never envy those who do not know
the loving care of our heavenly Father.
May we grasp every opportunity to point men toward God and glorify our
loving Shepherd.
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