Pastor's Column 9/27/20

PASTOR’S COLUMN

“Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass they soon fade away. Like Spring flowers, they soon wither… Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper – it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.” Psalm 37:1-2; 8-11, NLT

4thSunday- “Don’t Lose What The Enemy Has Lost!”

It is very easy to lose heart when so many decisions favor the privileged; they express blatant disdain for those who are persistently mistreated and marginalized. The first line of a poem by Rudyard Kipling, commonly known as IF. As a young student we were required to recite: If you can keep your head about you, when others are losing theirs and blaming it on you.” From time immemorial, persons who harm others, will justify their misdeeds by “blaming” the victims of their unbridled actions. In Psalm 37, David cautions a succeeding generation not to lose themselves at the expense of others who have already lost their integrity and virtues. David speaks as a seasoned saint, an aging king, who is familiar with the anatomy of wrong and injustice. From the richness of the Hebrew language, David encourages and warns his people “not to be burned or consumed” by the hatred that’s perpetrated against them. The aging warrior knows that if the people endure, their enemies will be destroyed. They must neither be over zealous, nor succumb, in their efforts to experience justice. God who is not blind to injustice and wrong, is on their side! David was aware of battles where the nation won, because the enemy’s “madness” morphed into insanity, and they destroyed themselves. It was in those moments, that God said, “Stand down,” and I will fight your battle. Enemies of God may elude us with what appears to be victories, but God will have the last word. He will avenge all who are mistreated and trampled on!