An earthquake in Nepal kills over 5,000 people. Massive rioting and protests brings another major American city to a grinding halt. The Unites States Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments regarding same-sex marriage. On a local level, massive storms cause major damage to homes, businesses, and vehicles across our region. This has all happened within the past week. It’s easy to look at all of these things and get discouraged. Especially when you factor in all the things that are going on in our personal lives, from financial concerns to physical ailments to broken relationships, it is abundantly clear that these are bad times.
So what’s a person to do? More specifically, what’s a Christian to do? How should we respond? Many people have many different thoughts on this, but it seems to me that Scripture makes it abundantly clear what our response should be. Look at Psalm 37 (NIV):
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
This passage is good news for bad times! I see three appropriate responses that we can take away here. The first is found in verse one. Do not fret. We generally think of fretting as worrying. In the ancient Hebrew, it means to be hot, or an inner vexing. That certainly adds another layer of descriptiveness. Do not let your spirit be vexed. To be vexed certainly is to be much more than worried. It means to be totally consumed with something to the point where your spirit is disturbed. Essentially, we are being told not to be consumed with the injustices and evil that we see. So, if the Lord doesn’t want us to fret, what are we to do? How do we not become vexed about everything that is happening in our lives and in the world around us?
Well, look at verse three. This is the second response. Rely on His faithfulness. His. Not yours. Not on those around you. His. Why? Because He will supply what you don’t have. He will sustain what you already do have. He will satisfy you about what you can’t have. In the New American Standard version of the Bible, the second half of verse three is translated as “dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness”. What a thought! The Lord commands us to rely on Him for all things and do good in the world around us (dwelling in the land). By doing that, we are cultivating faithfulness in Him. Are you beginning to see the process here? Don’t fret. Don’t be vexed when you see all this bad stuff. Instead, rely on Him. Trust Him by doing good in the world around you and allow Him to cultivate faithfulness in your life. Wow!
There is one more part to this process, and we see it in verse four. Rejoice in His fellowship. The New International Version of the Bible says to delight in the Lord. What a beautiful thought! The point is to rejoice and take comfort in being with Him. Find sustenance and joy in Him and the things that bring glory to Him.
If we do that, we are told that we will be given the desires of our heart. But let’s be clear here. Scripture is not saying that we should delight in Him simply to get what we want. What this verse is saying is that when our first desire is Him, every other desire will line up with Him and His purpose for our lives. Our hearts will be made to look more like His. The famed evangelist Junior Hill probably said it best when he said “If you get your desires before you get your delight, then you will never delight when you get your desires.” Are your desires in tune with Jesus? Do you delight in Him before anything else?
So, I think the psalmist David makes the process pretty clear. 1) Do not fret. Do not be vexed. 2) Relay on His faithfulness. Trust in Him and do good in the world around you, cultivating faithfulness in your life. 3) Rejoice in His faithfulness. Find delight in Him, and His desires will become your desires. My friends, that’s good news for bad times. That’s an appropriate response for all the bad stuff swirling around us. We might not be able to control all that happens, but we can use control our response to it. May we point people to Christ not only in the good times, but in the bad times as well. Be consistent!
Love and grace to you to you on the journey.
Until Next Time,
Pastor JP
