Injustice #2

February 18, 2022 (Friday)

 

Last time, I covered four skill sets in defending ourselves from allowing perceived or real injustice from creating bitterness and throwing us into the never-ending cycle to seek vengeance. At this moment, I feel like the annoying super-excited infomercial sales person who seems to want to jump out of the TV and shout THERE’S MORE!!!

 

Actually, there are two more skill sets. Personally, I think Psalm 37:7 is the peg that holds them all together. It reads, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” [ESV] Again we see a couplet; be still and fret not. This maybe the hardest of the skill sets to master.

 

How many of us were trained to “do something?” Being still runs counter to our culture of action and self-determination. Yet something special happens when we are still before the Lord. Psalm 46:10 declares, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” [ESV] The kicker is found in the very next words, “The LORD of hosts is with us.” [Psalm 46:11a ESV] For those who do not know what “hosts” means, the word is better translated “armies.” As in, when we need it, God shows up with Heaven’s armies… not that God needs an army, it’s just language we understand.

 

How hard is it for you to be still and “fret not” when the world is on fire? The image of fretting is that of being gnawed by something. It doesn’t take much, but it’s there and it’s persistent. Instead of being still we become twitchy, our nerves are frayed, and feel the pressure to explode. Our culture and training tell us this is better than being still. Being still takes time and practice.

 

It’s not really a skill set, but David advises those things we have learned will give us the discipline to, “Don’t get angry. Don’t be upset; it only leads to trouble.” [Psalms 37:8 NCV] This seems to be the bottom line; to live in peace, to not be in trouble. Yet, trouble is the name of the game. If you are intending to live a righteous life, expect trouble (see 2 Timothy 3:12).

 

Skipping a lot of good things to comment on (and learn), we get to Psalms 37:23, “A person’s steps are made secure by the Lord when they delight in his way.” [CEB] There’s two ways to read that last bit. Either we are delighted by God’s way or God is delighted with our way. My suspicion is it’s written that way because, ultimately, they have the same outcome.

 

I’m going to wrap this up with a bit of advice… Study Psalm 37, there are lots of goodies to be found here. Skills to learn. Promises to bank.