Faith, patience and LOVE

26Oct
Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; Do not be jealous of those who do wrong. For they shall soon wither away like the grass, and like the green grass fade away.
- Psalm 37:1,2

I will resist my strong impulse to use these opening lines of Psalm 37 for evil purposes. That is, to further reflect on all the “evildoers” I see in the world today (there’s plenty) and indulge in something that looks like a combination pity-party about the state of the world and group-congratulation for how well “our side” is bucking up. (And if not a bucking up, at least a righteous clamoring). Those gosh darn evildoers. When is God going to smite them, already? These were my first thoughts, if I’m being honest.

Because I do fret myself about evil doers who might hurt me or my family, or our planet. And I am jealous of people who seem to have an easier time than me. And I am angry about those who “get away with” all sorts of naughtiness: financial, social, political, environmental and even existential. I can’t wait until some of these baddies wither away like dead grass. Yes! Go Team God! (commence high five amongst all of us non-evildoers)

There I go again. No, of course we must have faith and patience, and do our best to understand and love one another. Perhaps not in the sense the psalmist intended for this particular message, but aren’t we all “evildoers” in one way or another? Who is fretting themselves this week because of my words or actions? Or my failure to act? 

I have come to believe that all of us do just about the best that we can, just about all of the time, given our own particular set of circumstances and life situations. This is as true for people toiling away in comfortable white collar jobs like mine as it is for the teenagers who break into cars on my block every third month or so. It’s also true for the warring parties in the Middle East and in the halls of Congress this very month. Plenty of evil to go around. None of us can safely claim a moral high ground. I don’t think there’s a lot of difference between us and I don’t believe God sees any, which is the thing we need to remember. A later verse in this same psalm points the way:

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. (Psalm 37:7)

Musical Reflection - Mercy Mercy Me - Marvin Gaye

In darkness and in light, in trouble and in joy, help us, heavenly Father, to trust your love, to serve your purpose, and to praise your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- A New Zealand Prayer Book
Psalms
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#good #evil

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