by Tracie
Miles
"Why, LORD, do you
stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" Psalm 10:1
(NIV)
By the time I returned home that night, I was so
agitated
that sleep was impossible.
I had traveled six hours by car and made the mistake
of
listening to news channels rather than my usual Christian music station.
Throughout the drive, I became increasingly frustrated and irritated, as I
heard
one bad news story after another. My mind was spinning with thoughts, and my
heart filled with emotions.
The strongest emotion by far was sadness at the stark
reality of our world gone terribly wrong.
Stories of abuse, death, disaster, political
corruption
and a general lack of integrity are everywhere. At times it seems the voices
and
desires of those who are against God's ways shout louder than those who love
Him
and promote His ways. It frustrates me that things are getting worse instead
of
better.
Driving down the interstate with my mind full of
mental
clutter, my heart felt heavy. I wondered what God's answer might be if I
could
ask Him, "God, what in the world is going on in this world? And when are
You
going to take action?"
In Psalm 10, David expressed this same type of
frustration
and confusion. He asked the Lord why it appeared He wasn't doing anything
about
the wickedness of the world, or taking control of the cruelty, violence and
injustices that ran rampant through their corrupt society. He questioned why
wicked people were allowed to get away with their
wrongdoings.
David wanted to know when God was going to step in and
do
something. Anything. David prayed with a desperate heart, begging God's
intervention.
Maybe you have felt that way too. Maybe you are
struggling
with difficult circumstances, and you feel as if God is standing far away,
not
intervening with help. Maybe you have struggled while walking in God's ways,
while others with less-than-godly motives succeed. Or maybe you too are
frustrated with the direction our world seems to be
headed.
This is how David felt as well, but in Psalm
10:16-18a, we
see his tone change from frustration to hope when he says, "The LORD is King for ever and ever; the
nations
will perish from his land. You, LORD, hear the desire of the
afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the
fatherless and the oppressed ..." (NIV). David took comfort in
remembering and believing that God was with him, and in due time, He would
prevail.
In prayer, David voiced his deepest fears and honest
feelings. He solicited God's wisdom for greater understanding, yet
surrendered
to trusting that God sees all, knows all and would handle it all when the
time
was right.
Our world has gone wrong due to the existence of sin,
but
we have a choice in how we respond. Instead of letting despair pull us
further
from God, or cause us to doubt His goodness, we can choose to lean on our
faith
and draw closer to Him instead, just like David.
Let's choose to proclaim God's sovereignty today,
trust in
His ways and be a voice for His truths even when the ways of this world
break
our hearts.
Lord, help me remember that You are in control, no matter how
out
of control this world seems. Give me the desire to stay grounded in You no
matter what I see on the news, or what challenges I personally face, and to
trust You wholeheartedly. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend...
Happy Tuesday,
Richard
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