I've felt such heaviness this week about the current events in our nation. Sometimes it looks like wickedness is prospering, doesn't it? But through all of this week's heavy news, the Psalms have been a great comfort to me. It seems that the Psalmist David was having some thoughts similar to my own. "Why are the wicked not being dealt with? " "You are a God of justice, why aren't you doing something about this mess?" As I pondered these questions, I felt like I received a couple of insights.
1) God is a God of justice, but He is also a God of mercy. In His mercy, He doesn't mete out immediate judgment for mankind's wickedness. He gives individuals, and even nations, time to repent, Because of His desire to show mercy, to us it appears that He is slow to deal with wickedness. I can get impatient when God doesn't deal with wickedness swiftly, yet I want His mercy to be long-suffering towards me when I falter. It seems I can't have it both ways!
2) God wants us to participate in bringing about change. God's people are to be representatives of His kingdom on this earth. We are His ambassadors. It is our job to bring the light of kingdom life into the darkness of this world marred by sin. In my opinion, our primary place we do so is in our own homes and families. When the plague of darkness came all over the land of Egypt because of Pharoah's stubborn resistance to set the children of Israel free, the homes of the Israelites were still full of light while all of the rest of the land was in total darkness. What a great example that is to us. The hate, the slandering of others, the disrespect toward human life, the violence, the darkness, might surround us, but it doesn't have to fill us or our homes and families.
There also comes a time when we have to be bold enough in the face of wickedness to say something and to do something. We can't be afraid to speak out and to live out the truth. We all like to think we would be the Bonhoeffer or the Ten Boom, a person who would risk it all to stand against the wickedness of a Hitler and his genocide. Yet, we are fearful to speak up against the evil occurring in our own nation right now. What we say and do should be bathed in prayer and Spirit led. Our motives should not be prideful and arrogant, but full of Christ-like humility. That being said, there comes a time to be bold and strong and unafraid to say the right thing and to do the right thing. We'd all rather that God deal with everything for us. Perhaps, God is waiting for us to let Him bring about change through us.
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