QUESTION
I was tremendously helped by the sermon yesterday, especially in understanding the connection in the first two verses [in Psalm 37]. I immediately saw myself in being envious of the wicked when they are seemingly “winning.” I can tell in myself that more lately I have been mentally and emotionally more invested in things that can cause me to get “wrapped around the axle.” My question though is how do we thoughtfully and deeply think about these big issues confronting our families, our nation, and the future of our children without getting “wrapped around the axle”? I was thinking a lot about Issue 1 from last fall and how much we all poured into fighting that. I think that was good and right. I think there are other wicked things we should be fighting, but how do we do that while trusting God and not getting in over our heads? I know that this will vary from person to person and we should exercise much self-control in what we consume, but in thinking about the sermon it feels bigger than that. Thanks for your thoughts.
ANSWER
This question mostly boils down to “How?” But it is asked in two parts.
Q1: How do we face the future without getting wrapped around the axle?
The first question is about facing the future without getting wrapped around the axle. The implication of this question is that the future looks grim. This is true. Scripture warns us repeatedly that God will cause the land to spit out its inhabitants if they defile the land through sins of sexual immorality and bloodshed—sins that our own nation has.
The difficulty then becomes (1) facing reality (2) without giving in to fear.
Facing Reality
There is a tendency among Christians, including Reformed people, to refuse to face reality. Even when we face real trials in this life, some are inclined to deny any suffering. For example, children born with genetic diseases face real trials, and their parents suffer along with them. If the parents deny that it is hard, or that the disease is truly bad, that is not a faithful response to suffering. Refusing to mourn as we see the results of the Fall physically revealed in our children is not spiritual maturity as many seem to think.
This lack of honesty is actually a strong indicator that we are ruled by fear. Only if our faith doesn’t have room for true suffering would we deny that we are truly suffering. It is true that Romans 5:3 says that we rejoice in suffering. But this is only possible if we are actually suffering. We rejoice because of what suffering produces: endurance, character, and hope (Rom. 5:4–5). Escaping to a fantasy world is not going to produce endurance or hope. We must run to God, not deny reality.
It is true that sometimes God provides grace that allows us to face a serious trial without serious suffering. Or maybe it is better to say that at times He shields us from the full extent of the suffering. And His grace is also what allows us to mourn with hope. However, optimism is not faith. If our idea of faith leads us to believe that we should not suffer, lament, and mourn, then we must realize we have condemned the faith of Job, David, and Jeremiah.
Without Fear
So first, face reality with honesty. Then, when you actually see how broken this world is by the sin of man, when you see the multitude of ways you and your children have or could suffer, you will be tempted to fear. Fear of the future often makes people fret and get angry at God that He doesn’t just give us what we want. Instead of getting angry, we must turn to God in faith. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us to pray when we are weak:
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Each of the men I mentioned above faced serious suffering, and God sustained each one in his time of need. Hebrews also reminds us to look to the past—the cloud of witnesses that surrounds us. What do these witnesses say to us about what will happen if trials and suffering come our way? In the past God has been with His children, even when they walked through the valley of the shadow of death. He will be with us and our children as well, if we also put our faith in Him.
Q2: How do we fight evil while trusting God and not getting in over our heads?
Having just addressed trusting God, we are left with how to fight evil without getting in over our heads.
To start with, yes it is good to fight evil. It is good to hate sin. It is good to mourn when justice isn’t done and lament when the people of God turn away from Him as so many have in our nation. Even anger is appropriate. We are to be angry, but without sin, as Ephesians 4:26 says. In the imprecatory Psalms we even see David asking God to pour out His wrath in judgment of evil that is obviously making David angry.
Are we supposed to somehow fight evil without caring about it? No. Without getting angry? No.
Nevertheless, as we saw in the sermon there is a sort of anger, even anger at sin, that leads only to further sin.
In Psalm 39, King David determines that he will keep silent in the presence of evil so that he wouldn’t sin. But he finds that his sorrow grew and his heart burned. Then he finally opens his mouth and speaks, but he speaks to God in prayer. Here is what he prays.
- That God would teach him how short and insignificant his own life is. We aren’t nearly as important as we think we are. God doesn’t need us to end evil.
- That God would forgive him for his own sin. We must not be angry at sin in a way that forgets our own guilt and need of God’s forgiveness.
- He acknowledges that God is the one who is accomplishing His will, apparently even through the wicked men. We must remember that sometimes it is God’s judgment on sinners to give them over to their sin.
Each of these three things changes our perspective about the fight against evil we are engaged in.
I will end with Psalm 131, which adds two more elements. First, it reiterates that we shouldn’t be haughty, thinking that our own involvement in “great matters” is going to solve them. Second, it posits what we can and should do instead: rest on the Lord with complete peace and trust.
O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.