BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN…

ARE YOU TRUSTING GOD?

Psalm 58:1-2

1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?

Do you judge the children of man uprightly?

2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;

your hands deal out violence on earth. 

Do you live in a country where those who rule are unjust? Israel did! I am sure that you don’t have to reflect too long to rehearse many things that our government does wrong.

What should not happen is our surprise about that. We live in a corrupt world, where men live in sin and the leaders, in the best of cases, try to follow a human justice. In fact, they rebel at the definition of sin that God gives. They rebel against any notion of the wickedness of man and his inability to do good.

Man is selfish and self-centered, and tends to look after his own interests. This is the world we live in. We are surrounded by people who are looking for their own comfort and self-established rights.

Psalm 58:3-5

3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;

they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,

like the deaf adder that stops its ear,

5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers

or of the cunning enchanter. 

David’s assessment is quite graphic, but it reflects the way that God sees the actions of man. How unwise we are, when we expect the world we live in to be any different. In reality, since it’s not as bad as it could be, we should be grateful to God. It is also true that our complaining does not bring any positive results. Instead, it exposes our unrealistic desires, and possibly, an attachment to this world that God does not want us to have.

Psalm 58:6-9

6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;

tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!

7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;

when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.

8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,

like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.

9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,

whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away! 

The fact that wicked rulers are a reality does not mean that God’s people should approve them or fail to ask God to intervene. As believers, we are responsible to vote with wisdom, as God gives us the opportunity. And we are to pray for our rulers.

1 Timothy 2:1-6

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 

This prayer is not driven by a desire for personal comfort or wealth, but by a desire to live in a situation where the Gospel may progress. The Gospel is so important because it is unique and exclusive. It is the only way by which man can be saved, and there are no alternatives.

Way too often, our frustration with our government is not driven by eternal purposes, but by our own desires. When we see things that bother us, our first question should be if God is using it to promote His kingdom. And the next one should be how we can align ourselves with His eternal purposes.

Psalm 58:10-11

The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;

he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.

11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;

surely there is a God who judges on earth.” 

David knew that God would triumph; he knew that he could rest in the promises of God.

Galatians 6:9-10

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

The Bible is clear: we must do good, and we should not tire of it, in spite of opposition. We should have our eyes open to opportunities to take care of our fellow believers. We should never be frustrated when God gives us an opportunity to help someone, and we should not look to the government to take care of believers. We have that privilege.

Even when we work, our goal should never be to just take care of ourselves.

Ephesians 4:28

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 

God is in control! He is the One Who provides, and He expects us to use His provision for Gospel purposes. May God help us to learn to depend on Him more and more.