I don’t know about you but sometimes I wish God would give me His judgmental powers for like 5 minutes. I believe the world would be a better place. Have you ever felt like that? I just want us to be honest with each other. I have felt like that on more than one occasion and I venture to say so have you. Having the occasional thought of vengeance isn’t going to erase your salvation...nothing can do that! But dwelling on the judgement of others could cause you to be dehydrated. Your once overflowing heart is caked with bitterness and anger. Anger that the “Teflon people” seem to get away with murder, nothing sticks to the them. They do what they want and there seems as if there is no recourse. If you dwell on it...it will drive you insane.
It is good to know that God’s Word contains such questions and cries for help.
Psalm 73 reads;
“God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart. But as for me, my feet almost slipped; my steps nearly went astray. For I envied the arrogant; I saw prosperity of the wicked. They have an easy time until they die, and their bodies are well-fed. They are not in trouble like others; they are not afflicted like most people. Therefore, pride is their necklace, and violence covers them like a garment.”
Psalm 73 goes on to say;
They mock
They speak maliciously
They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues strut across the earth.
They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High know everything?
Look at them...the wicked! They are always at ease, and they increase in wealth. Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? For I am afflicted all day long, and punished every morning. If I had decided to say these things aloud, I would have betrayed Your people. When I tried to understand all this , it seemed hopeless until I entered God’s sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny. Indeed You put them in slippery places; you make them fall into ruin. How suddenly they become a desolation! They come to an end, swept away by terror. Like one waking from a dream, Lord when arising, You will despise their image.
We may not ever see the wicked among us fall, and I’m not so sure that should be our goal. In my personal walk with Christ, this is one area that I am continuing to grow. I have found myself wishing for the power to strike the wicked down, to praying for them. I don’t pretend to understand why they do what they do or why those who have been placed in charge of them would allow them to continue on their path of destruction. While on this journey I have learned that not everybody has been to the “foot of the cross”. Jesus prayed to His father, while on the cross, “Forgive them Father...for they know not what they are doing!” We have to allow these words to enter our hearts and flow from our lips. I no longer pray for the power to “SMITE THEM”! I pray that they will meet the One who can guide their next step toward paradise.
In His grip,
Danny Legge
Danny,
I have struggled with this as well, especially when it comes to people who hurt kids. It is sometimes difficult to turn such things over to the Heavenly Father and be at peace of any sort.
The money end doesn't bother me alot. I just keep hearing "It's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle then it is for a rich man to inherit the Kingdom of God. It certainly puts a new perspective on money or material objects.
Great message, thanks as always for sharing. I am always uplifted by your blogs, sometimes I feel a little "convicted" before the "uplifted" part comes, but that is as it should be.