Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Waiting on God

It seems like we live in a nation and culture that is out of control because of all the protesting, anger and rage being spewed by everyone from the NFL, to Hollywood, to Washington DC and sadly even to some churches and church folks. Players are disrespecting the flag and nation; fans are boycotting their teams; politicians and media types are on a witch hunt to try and discredit their opponents and even drum up charges to try and remove them from office. Everyone is taking sides and no one is willing to listen to other side. And before you think I'm being holier than thou or even hypocritical, I will be the first to admit that I'm as guilty as anyone else of taking a side and running with it; and yes sometimes allowing my righteous indignation to become unholy anger and sin.

The truth is, our society and nation do have deep and complex problems, and there is no quick solution or easy answers to these problems. There IS a problem with police brutality and racial profiling in many of our inner cities across America. There are still racist people who give privileges and perks to white people over African-Americans who do the same job for the same company. And there are problems on both sides with White Americans and Black Americans who stereotype one another and just want to shout at one another. There is a problem with Black on Black Crime and Domestic Violence that sometimes well meaning Police Officers get called to break up, only to have the perpetrator and victim turn on them; and they are forced to defend themselves and families are left broken with a dead loved one lying on the street. There is a problem with people who break the law in order to migrate to this nation, some with the best of intentions, trying to make a better life for themselves, and others with the worst intentions of doing harm to this nation and its citizens. Then there is the problem of what to do with the children of these individuals who may or may not have been born on American soil. The answers to these complex problems are not always clear cut black and white, and there are real people with real feelings and eternal souls who are often caught in the cross-hairs of this struggle. SO WHAT IF ANYTHING DO WE DO ABOUT IT?


Now, I like to read a Chapter in Psalms and a Chapter in Proverbs every day in my quiet time. Today, I was in Psalm 27, and I came to verse 14, which states: "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." One Commentary on this verse said this: "Waiting for the Lord is an abbreviated way to express waiting for an answer to prayer. Rather than taking matters into their own hands, the people of God should wait patiently for Yahweh's response!"

This especially rang true with me, because I have a bad habit of rushing to judgment, getting sucked into arguments, and then having to passionately defend that argument at the risk of hurting others. Sometimes things are better left unsaid and opinions kept to oneself.

I was convicted this morning that I need to talk to God about problems in my life, culture, nation and society more than talking to others or expressing said views on Social Media. And may we WAIT on God's response instead of taking matters into our own hands! It's okay to express an opinion and bring truth to light in a discussion, but we must be careful to do it in a right way that honors God, and respects the other person who also was created in the image of God. We have a responsibility to honor those in authority over us (Romans 13:1-7) and pray for our political leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

What am I saying? As the people of God, let's try and heed the words of Scripture. James 1:19 "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow tospeakslow to wrath:"
And 1 Thessalonians 4:11 "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;"

May we not just be hearers or even people who quote the Word to prove our point. But let us be doers of the Word and show the world by our actions, our love for God and love for others, that we are indeed His disciples! Have a blessed day!

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