Friday, October 4, 2019
Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Psalm 37:1-8[2]
I watched a TV show recently where a
tsunami swept over the California coastline.
I’ve seen plenty of video and still shots of the damage such a storm can
produce, but this dramatization staged everything to help the viewer experience
the raw power and arbitrary selection of whose life to ruin. It was memorable, which I’m certain was the
director’s intention. It got my
attention, and for the next couple of days sleeping was more difficult.
As I reflect over the number of
tsunami-like waves that have appeared in my lifetime and changed everything, it
gets a little mind-staggering. Vietnam, the assassination of President
Kennedy, landing on the moon, fall of the Berlin wall…these (and many more) are
epochal game changers.
Another tsunami game changer was the 2015
Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriages, undercutting two thousand
years of church teaching (not to mention 6 millennia of common sense!). That 9-judge ruling set off a wave of
celebration and anger across the continent.
I certainly didn’t (and still don’t) agree with the decision, but rather
than fretting or anger, I’ve learned (along with the Psalmist) to trust God with
what He’s doing, despite how unsettling it all seems.
One disclaimer here. While I disagree with the court’s decision,
and even the idea of homosexuality being good, or even normative,
I also take my cue as to how to behave towards my fellow human beings from
Scripture. I call no person
insignificant because of how they were born, or how they choose to act. We are all God’s creatures. On the other hand, naming sin, while loving
the sinner, puts one in a precarious position.
It’s easy to be labeled a homophobe if you don’t agree with the LGBTQ++
agenda and, because of conscience, choose to come out of the quiet background
about it. The trick, as I see it, is to
put away the anxiety over it, act with graciousness towards everyone, and
remember how my sins are no less worrisome to God than those of anyone else! Complex issues are just that, and you run the
risk of being misunderstood if you try for simplistic “solutions”. However, I don’t think you can do better than
the simple loving principle the Psalmist lays down:
Trust in the Lord and do good. Psalm 37:3
In this case there are a lot of moving
parts in human interaction when it comes to that last phrase, do good. The list begins in the Psalm also:
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. Psalm 37:7-8
For You Today
It’s not wrong to speak up,
but if you would do that, remember to be still in the presence of the Lord
first…exercise patience without worry or anger.
If God gives you something to say there won’t be any room for
self-righteousness.
Go to VIDEO
[2] For another post on this text see: Cleaning
Up the Mess 2/27/19
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