Saturday, August 12, 2017

Mere Mortals and Maniacs

Psalm 56:4  “I praise God for what He has promised.  I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?”  

Mere mortals.  Really?  What can mere mortals do to me?  Mere mortals can actually do quite a bit of damage.  Us “mere mortals” can be selfish, shameful, and sometimes senselessly cruel.  

Just today I read of two incidents in two entirely different places, one not so very far away, one on the other side of the world.  There are no words to describe the barbaric, atrocious behavior.  To think that human-beings can behave the way they do is unsettling, especially to other human-beings.  It is sickening and appalling to read of burnings and beheadings and then, of hatred and anger-ridden violence at the cost of human life and injury.  

Don’t let the thought of what mere mortals can do be the focus here in this passage, as it was for me at first glance.  Neither misunderstand the Scripture to teach that no harm can ever come to the believer.  In fact, it is just the opposite.  Evil exists.  Atrocities and tragedies occur.  But please understand.  This is not a question of the greatness and goodness of God as some might believe.  Rather, because of maniacal humanity, depraved human existence that has forgotten and forsaken the One that created them, our eyes must be turned to God, not man.  The key to managing in this madness is to NOT FEAR BUT TRUST, and to praise Him for the promises He has given us to claim and cling to.  

We should not and cannot live in fear.   Be wise, yes.  Exercise caution, yes.  But putting our trust in God, the Only One that can truly make a difference, is the key.  Holding onto the promises of His faithful and trustworthy Word gives us the ammunition we need to combat the fear battle that Satan would wage in our lives.  

If you’re like me, these type of reports also give rise to anger.  The promises of God quiet my heart and turn my thoughts back to prayer and praise.  I will certainly not be able to eradicate this kind of evil this side of heaven. I cannot always eliminate pain or avoid tragedy.  But I can pray and praise and trust.  I can spread love, not hate.  I can be kind, considerate, respectful, compassionate, not arrogant, crude and uncaring.  I can be peaceable, not contentious.  I can stand firm in the Truth of the Bible without bashing it over other people’s heads, allowing the Spirit of God to work in hearts.  

We live in a fearful world.  A crazy, fickle, violent world with very real and pressing fears to contend with from health concerns to financial stability, from safety to sanity, from loneliness to job security to national security.  But don’t feed that fear.  What you feed will grow.  Feed your faith.  Let faith guard you and guide you, faith in a loving and good God that can calm our fears,  and manage the madness all around us.  

I’m just a mere mortal that chooses to trust God.  

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