But God Knows What’s Going On-Lent 14, 2021

Do you see injustice in your midst?  Do you ever complain about it to God?  The prophets did.  The historians recorded it in the annals of history.  The poets opined and mourned about it in tune and verse. 

Psalm 64:1 For the director of music. A psalm of David. Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers. 3 They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. 4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear. 5 They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “Who will see it?” 6 They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the human mind and heart are cunning. 7 But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. 8 He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn. 9 All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done. 10 The righteous will rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!

Newsflash for evildoers: God knows what’s going on.  He sees everything, even the things done by people who don’t believe He exists.  He sees what’s being done in secret, behind the closed doors of bedrooms, mansions, offices, Congress, and the Supreme Court.  God sees it all.

Who seriously believes there’s escaping the consequences forever?
A man reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7).

So when we read psalms like this one or the “Imprecatory Psalms”, we can feel somewhat confused.  Would God really destroy the wicked?  Yes.  Absolutely.  How does this square with praying for our enemies?  I once wrote a post about the Imprecatory Psalms, 5 C’s Toward Understanding Imprecatory Prayers.  Without a doubt, they can be hard to understand, but they serve a purpose for us and bring us to the same conclusion as the psalmist here:

“All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments… When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” (Psalm 73:14, 16-17 )

Until I entered the sanctuary…what a very profound thought!  When we enter the sanctuary of God, in prayer, humility, and crying to God for wisdom, He helps us to see that He will be proven righteous in the end. 

Sometimes praying for our enemies
achieves the very same result as praying against them. 
God is proven just.

Father God, when we begin to think that those who do evil will never face any consequences, it’s easy for us to become discouraged.  It seems they grow up prosperous and strong, beautiful and successful … while those who love You suffer.  Sometimes we are among the poorest, the ones who struggle to hold on to hope in the face of adversity, the ones who get called names and accused of holding onto conspiracy theories or crutches for the intellectually substandard, being ignorant hicks or bitter clingers.  Yet Lord in Your righteous judgment the things of this world–the successes, the material wealth, the popularity, the prestige, the power—it all fades away when compared to the glory that You have.  So, we praise You and thank You that Jesus Christ told us that blessed are the poor in spirit for they know the kingdom of heaven and those who mourn for they will be comforted.  We thank You, Lord, that our riches are in heaven with You.  Be with us during Lent and keep our hearts focused on the work Your Son Jesus did to make it possible for those of us who are so very weak, who know nothing but a struggle against sin day after day, yet we can have riches in Christ beyond our imagining.  We praise You and thank You for Jesus, for His sacrifice on the Cross and for Your accepting His sacrifice as complete.  We would be finished, but for God so now we rejoice that “It is finished!”  We praise You Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Categories Articles and Devotionals, Devotionals | Tags: | Posted on March 4, 2021

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