Pain. Anger. Grief. Rage. Devastation. Alienation. Loneliness. Despair. We’ve all experienced these emotions in our lives. And if you haven’t, then it’s only a matter of time. Why? Because God created us, in part, to be in relationship our fellow human beings. And as human beings, we hurt one another, thus causing these emotions. In essence, these emotions are a by-product of the human condition – sin.
Indeed, the ugliness of our inner turmoil often surges forth in how we speak to others or how we treat others. We see evidence of this almost everywhere we turn these days. Innocents are being murdered by the “protectors.” Cities are alight at night with raging fires. Businesses of hard-working, innocent citizens are being razed. Minorities are still being marginalized and oppressed. Women are finally speaking out about the abuses they have suffered at the hands of their employers. Unborn children are being mass murdered. Children are being abandoned and neglected in exchange for the lure of drugs. Children are being beaten at the hands of selfish elders who overflow with selfish rage. The list goes on and on.
If you really look around at what is happening in our country and across the world, all of the pain and injustices are enough to bring you to your knees with sorrow. The world is topsy-turvy and it’s impossible to make sense of it all.
We want to control what’s happening; reverse the course. But it’s all entirely out of our power to control. So what should we do? How can we possibly make things right? How do we bring back justice and equity? Truth time. We can’t. At least, not alone.
First, we need to appeal to the One who has all the power and control. We are commanded to “[h]umble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so at the proper time he might exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV). We must approach God with an attitude of our hearts, minds, and lives that expresses His goodness and greatness, while also acknowledging our own smallness and prideful natures. We must come to Him in prayer acknowledging that we’ve been doing things backwards – acting first, and seeking Him second. He must always be foremost and above all other things in our lives.
Also, we must cast our anxieties on the Lord. This means we must bring our pain, our struggles, even our ugliness within our own hearts and lay them at His feet. And we must also repent for our pride in trying to fix this broken world in our own paltry power.
Second, we need to trust God’s sovereign will and rest in who He is. Psalm 46 is such a beautiful example of how we rest in God. We rest in the surety of God by knowing His attributes. In Psalm 46 we see things from the perspective of someone who is in the midst of war, a trial, conflict, or some deeply personal strife. The psalmist repeatedly refers to God as a refuge, a place of safety, and a stronghold. The psalmist realizes that a person cannot withstand the trials they have suffered in their own strength – the mind, body, and will are just too weak. The only way to prevail is to stop relying on oneself and, instead, rely on God’s strength. Just read this beautiful description of how sure we can be in God’s strength:
“Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” Psalm 46:2-3
God then responds to the psalmist, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10.
When we seek the Lord and rely on Him, He responds. He listens. He moves. The world is on a pathway of self destruction. We must fight this battle on our knees in prayer. We must rest in the goodness of God. We must be still and wait on God in His timing. And as we wait, we live our faith by reaching out to those suffering, to those who are disenfranchised. We pray for them. We love them. We meet their needs. We open our hearts to feel compassion for them. We share the incredible message of the gospel with them. But above all else, we must rest in God and be still in our hearts, knowing He’s got this.
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