February 2, 2009

Let God Deal with Unrighteousness

“A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken. A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.” (Psalms 37:1-20 NKJV)

This is a hard lesson to learn for some of us. I must confess I get too upset over things like sports that have no eternal importance. The referees frustrate me, and so I sit helplessly becoming angrier and angrier. No this is not about the Super Bowl. It’s not even about my son’s basketball game that made me realize my lack of control again. It’s about sin.

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20 NKJV)

The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God! I think it will sometimes. However, getting upset with others won’t change anything for good it just causes you to suffer God’s displeasure. Oh how it grieves me to playback those feelings in my mind’s recorder. We all need to practice self-control, to be swift to hear and slow to speak.

Well I am painfully reminded again of my need to be proactive in my relationship with God. David had every reason to be mad with his pursuers, but he reminded himself of the big picture as a guard to his soul.

He knew that the wicked would be cut down in due time. God will deal with unrighteousness as He sees fit. It is not for us to take things into our own hands. When we do, we probably just delay the Lord’s wrath. Notice the following passage in Romans.

“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but [rather] give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance [is] Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19-21 NKJV)

OK, I have been honest, I got too upset over my kids ball game, how about you? Are there those who have hurt you deeply with whom you just can’t seem to let God deal? Do you find that you keep picking up the offense allowing it to fester in your soul? If you do find this to be true, then it’s time for you to pray and meditate. Rest in the Lord is David’s admonition. Paul put it this way:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV)

That sounds good to me; I hope you will take that same advice. Amen.