Thoughts for the Day

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor -
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,
those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, ‘God will not seek it out’;
all their thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’

Their ways prosper at all times;
your judgements are on high, out of their sight;
as for their foes, they scoff at them.
They think in their heart, ‘We shall not be moved;
throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.’

Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression;
under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
They sit in ambush in the villages;
in hiding-places they murder the innocent....

Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
do not forget the oppressed......

O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek;
you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed,
so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why doesn't God get rid of evil?", or perhaps at the moment, "Why can't those who attack vulnerable people be held truly accountable?" or else, "Why doesn't God stop Putin from attacking Ukraine?" or something else concerning the war in the Middle East? Psalm 10 says something similar. The Psalmist cries to God, "Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?" He sees the way the poor are persecuted and how the wicked trample all over those who are weaker than themselves, believing there is no God and they cannot be touched. However, he ends the psalm by confirming his total conviction that God will bring justice and remove those who commit evil ultimately.

If we look at our Bible we can learn two important things about the subject of evil. First, evil doesn't come from God. He didn't create it, and he doesn't cause it. Most of us realise this, but we can forget it sometimes. Evil comes from the Evil One - from Satan - who is completely opposed to God and His world of goodness. It also comes from within human hearts when they turn away from God and live only for themselves. Jesus said "For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come." (Mark 7.21)

Second, we should remember that God sent His Son into the world to defeat evil. Through His death and resurrection He defeated evil and hell, which began a battle that will one day be resolved when He returns to complete His victory over evil. In the meantime we should put our hope in Jesus, and do what we can in our way to defeat evil. To do this we need to consider the outcomes of our thoughts, our feelings and our actions. If the outcome of any of these is not evidence of love, then it is not of God. So we start with ourselves and step forward to forge a path that reflects God's goodness.

Lord Jesus Christ,
help us to have faith in You
that evil cannot ultimately win,
and that there will be a reckoning
when it will be defeated.
In the meantime we ask Your
guidance in how to make a
difference in our world
in any way that we can.
Amen.