How are you? That's a question we Americans ask each other so casually – a fact which drives folks from some other countries up a wall. Because when we ask it the way we ask it, they aren't really sure if we're looking for an honest answer, or if we're simply acting out of reflex. Sometimes, maybe we're not really sure either. How are you? Have the times been easy? Have they been hard? Have they been stressful, painful, uncertain? It's a question we might ask in earnest, not only of ourselves and each other, but of the world. World, how are you?
The world can be troubled. St. Paul warns that “in the last days, there will come times of difficulty” (2 Timothy 3:1). But already, he says, “the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). Maybe he's pulled that from his Bible, where he read that “all the days of the afflicted are evil” (Proverbs 15:15). The prophets certainly recognized “the time of trouble and the time of distress” (Jeremiah 15:11). The psalmists admitted “times of trouble when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me” (Psalm 49:5). The sages sighed and said “there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him” (Ecclesiastes 8:6).
How is the world? I wouldn't know how to even start to catalog the “war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms” (Jeremiah 28:8). As far as pestilence is concerned, although many of us are still processing the global pandemic of a few years ago, the spread of disease seems to have otherwise returned to normal. As far as famine, over a million people are living under famine conditions, while nearly a tenth of the human race goes hungry each day.1 And as for war, a report last June suggested there were fifty-six ongoing military conflicts, the highest number since World War II.2 Just yesterday, I heard about a drone strike against a hospital in Sudan – some say thirty died, some say seventy. That's one trouble plucked from a countless crowd.
Now, am I mentioning all these things to scare you or depress you? No, and I certainly hope you won't be. But our faith is deeply, radically honest about the world. The world is troubled. Jesus himself told his disciples that “in the world, you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). And the psalmist testifies to his experience: how “all day long, an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample me all day long, for many attack me proudly,” and so “all day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up strife, they lurk, they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life” (Psalm 56:1-2, 5-6). Christians have traditionally applied the enemy verses of the psalms to our spiritual enemies, the devil and his minions. Certainly it's true, and we dare never forget it, that demons are real and that they stir up strife, they lurk and watch us, and they devote their time and thoughts to our spiritual downfall. But before that deeper spiritual meaning, the psalmists were talking out of personal experience and being honest about the world. In troubled times, there are many attackers.
Where do we turn when we find the times to be troubled? What do we do when we have tribulation? And what will the next few years bring? Well, I don't know. We've certainly had an interesting couple of weeks for our nation. Maybe there are things you've heard in the news and thought, “Oh no!” Or maybe there are things you've heard in the news and thought, “Well, finally!” I happen to know that in our little church we have at least three different political parties represented. So people will fairly disagree, and can do so in love.
We're not going to get into the weeds on it. But we are going to remember the wisdom of the psalmist: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation” (Psalm 146:3). For one reason, “when his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day, his plans perish” (Psalm 146:4). Whether we're looking to a preacher or a politician or a system or institution, there are expiration dates attached to every term and every plan. They don't guarantee long-term stability. Besides, as the sages say, “trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips” (Proverbs 25:19). Human intentions are variable. Individuals and institutions, however much we have to rely on them to a certain extent to function, can have different aims than we expect or hope. To add to that, the prophet heard that “cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength” (Jeremiah 17:5). So that's a third reason: flesh, human effort, even while it lasts and when it's well-intentioned, can fall short of being enough.
It's no wonder, then, that the psalmist advises us “it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man; it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes” (Psalm 118:8-9). His isn't the weakness of frail flesh. His is the kingdom and the power and the glory. God never falls short of being enough. The psalmist confesses God as “my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (Psalm 61:3). “The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalm 9:9). “The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble” (Psalm 37:39). “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.” His breath doesn't depart; his plans don't perish. Oh, “many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21).
And trusting in him isn't like suffering a growing toothache or standing on unsure footing. His intentions aren't treacherous; “the LORD keeps faith forever” (Psalm 146:6). What is he out for? What is God's agenda? It's to “execute justice for the oppressed,” it's to “give food to the hungry,” it's to “set the prisoners free” and “open the eyes of the blind” and “lift up those who are bowed down” (Psalm 146:7-8). “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD: plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever” (Psalm 138:8). And so “this is my comfort in my affliction: that your promise gives me life” (Psalm 119:50).
So should we fear? Well, let's ask the psalmists and their friends. They say: “Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). “In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11). “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me” (Psalm 118:6-7). “The LORD is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh..., it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear” (Psalm 27:1-3). “The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe” (Proverbs 29:25).
For “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” (Psalm 46:1-3). Jesus tells us that “in the world, you will have tribulation; but take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). So “let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27). So “blessed is he... whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them” (Psalm 146:5-6). Yes, “blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD … He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8). Drought, war, stress, injustice – the Spirit's water keeps you green and fruitful through it all.
So, as the prophet cries: “O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble” (Isaiah 33:2). “Let me dwell in your tent forever; let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings” (Psalm 61:4). “Save us, O LORD our God..., that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise” (Psalm 106:47). “Praise the LORD, O my soul!” (Psalm 146:1). Amen.
2 https://www.visionofhumanity.org/highest-number-of-countries-engaged-in-conflict-since-world-war-ii/
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