A Timeless Idea

Lately, I have been reading the Book of Psalms.  I've just gotten started, but as usual, am struck by the relevance of the Scriptures.  Time and time again, Scott and I have shaken our heads in disgust at those who operate with no qualifications but their own advancement or gratification.  We hurt for the innocents who are caught up in others' quest for "the good life" -- for themselves, others be damned.  We wonder at the unfairness of it all.  How can the righteous be expected to continue that way, when unrighteousness seems to prosper others to no end?  How can God allow some folks to toil like a couple of hard-working stiffs while those who refuse to take care of the responsibilities they have, go on to receive all the glory, all the perks? 

Now, we know our frustration is based on worldly ideals, childish viewpoints and temporal gratifications, but let's face it, we are human and living in an imperfect world; we're bound to feel that way sometimes.  The author of many psalms, David, did too.  In Psalm 12 David talks about wickedness that seems to surround him: "...the faithful have vanished from among the children of man," he says.  "Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak."  Was it truly "everyone?"  Most likely not, but it seemed that way to David; he was clearly burdened by it.  Psalm 10 tells of the wicked who prey on the poor, scheming against them, and then boasting of their greedy deeds.  They deny God, murder the innocent and plot against the helpless, looking to ensnare them in some sort of trap.  David's concerns were valid.  He wanted to see justice; he wanted to see the Kingdom of God prevail.

By the end of the psalm, we see David turn it around.  He talks it through, so to speak and always comes back to the same reassurance -- the reassurance that God, our God is the Capital "G" God.  The One True God is loving, faithful, just, all-powerful and all-knowing.  He will protect us, He will do what He says He will do, He is a God of justice, He can do whatever He wills, and nothing gets by Him.  He is not the God of imagination or ethereal ideals; He is real, and is as committed to mankind today as He was in David's day.

Just as Scott and I hash things out from a human perspective, maybe just to vent or hear out loud just how tired it sounds, we always come back to the same conclusion -- God is in control.  We reestablish just how important it is to give it over to Him -- and we do.