Tuesday, March 01, 2011
God wins in the end
Sometimes life feels so cruel and unfair. Injustice blasts itself across so many broken hearts. And it seems like evil wins in the end. And while I won't share my particular anecdote here, I'm sure you can relate with some story of your own.
The details likely produce tears or anger. Your heart isn't sure why it can't heal because the thing, whatever that thing happens to be for each one of us, is just too damn big.
But, here to give us a little bit of perspective and some hope as well is King David. It's been hard for me to pray lately and to crack open my Bible because I've fallen back into a hole of depression.
But, somehow God's spirit inched its way through the scars and encouraged me to open up to Psalm 34 instead of a chapter of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice (which always makes me feel better).
So here goes with some truth and encouragement. As you read these verses, I want you to pay attention to the verbs that are used and we'll chat about them in a bit. What you need to know right away is that it's okay to cry out to God and also that God will work out all the details of the crap that you are going through.
"17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
The next two verses reiterate the previous point, about God helping you through the tough times. They also go on to talk about how He protects you as well. Check it out!
"19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken."
And then I love how the Psalm ends with such truth and assurance. It's this awesome reminder that evil doesn't actually win in the end. This is such a powerful point to cling to when you seem to notice the bad stuff triumphing wherever you go. But it's not the way it plays out in God's book.
"21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him."
So here are the main verbs from the passage: cry, hears, delivers, is (close), saves, protects, slay, be (condemned), redeems, and takes (refuge). The first and last verbs deal with the Believer. She cries out to God and takes refuge in the Lord.
But the other action words have to do with God's response. God hears, delivers, is close, saves, and protects his followers. And this is what he does to the evildoer: He slays and condemns him.
It's important for the Believer to remember HER own role through the storms. Remember what the Psalmist said? You must cry out to God!!! Especially when you feel like God does not care! Especially when you feel like He has abandoned you! Especially when you long for God to step in right that very second, but He remains silent!
Dear Believer, King David also reminds us to take REFUGE in the Lord! Feelings of condemnation will enter into your mind, but then you need to run to the Father. Remember that God gets the final word. He holds you even when you can't see Him! And He judges those who have harmed you.
The details likely produce tears or anger. Your heart isn't sure why it can't heal because the thing, whatever that thing happens to be for each one of us, is just too damn big.
But, here to give us a little bit of perspective and some hope as well is King David. It's been hard for me to pray lately and to crack open my Bible because I've fallen back into a hole of depression.
But, somehow God's spirit inched its way through the scars and encouraged me to open up to Psalm 34 instead of a chapter of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice (which always makes me feel better).
So here goes with some truth and encouragement. As you read these verses, I want you to pay attention to the verbs that are used and we'll chat about them in a bit. What you need to know right away is that it's okay to cry out to God and also that God will work out all the details of the crap that you are going through.
"17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
The next two verses reiterate the previous point, about God helping you through the tough times. They also go on to talk about how He protects you as well. Check it out!
"19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; 20 he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken."
And then I love how the Psalm ends with such truth and assurance. It's this awesome reminder that evil doesn't actually win in the end. This is such a powerful point to cling to when you seem to notice the bad stuff triumphing wherever you go. But it's not the way it plays out in God's book.
"21 Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him."
So here are the main verbs from the passage: cry, hears, delivers, is (close), saves, protects, slay, be (condemned), redeems, and takes (refuge). The first and last verbs deal with the Believer. She cries out to God and takes refuge in the Lord.
But the other action words have to do with God's response. God hears, delivers, is close, saves, and protects his followers. And this is what he does to the evildoer: He slays and condemns him.
It's important for the Believer to remember HER own role through the storms. Remember what the Psalmist said? You must cry out to God!!! Especially when you feel like God does not care! Especially when you feel like He has abandoned you! Especially when you long for God to step in right that very second, but He remains silent!
Dear Believer, King David also reminds us to take REFUGE in the Lord! Feelings of condemnation will enter into your mind, but then you need to run to the Father. Remember that God gets the final word. He holds you even when you can't see Him! And He judges those who have harmed you.
Labels: anger, Bible, depression, Psalm 34
