Kings aren’t saved by the strength of their armies; warriors aren’t rescued by how much power they have. A warhorse is a bad bet for victory; it can’t save despite its great strength. But look here: the Lord’s eyes watch all who honor him, all who wait for his faithful love, to deliver their lives from death — Psalm 33:16-19
Shell-shocked is a phrase that sometimes describes how I feel. The craziness, violence, strife, divisiveness of modern life simply become overwhelming. Ideals of empathy, compassion, justice, diversity–hallmarks of God’s kingdom and our hope–seem to be retreating instead of advancing. Headlines each day, unfortunately, remind us of this.
In biblical times, people would say God turned away or doesn’t pay attention. In modern times, people would say God doesn’t exist because of the mess “He” is allowing.
But then the wisdom of that anonymous Hebrew poet, writing around 500 BC, comes out. The testimony of people who’ve seen a lot worse than us is that God does have a way of working things out in a timeframe and in a way that transcends us puny little people who flourish for a while and then die. Really, who would have seen Jesus arising out of a backdrop of unbridled violence of kings and armies?
So, I need to be reminded of this bit of biblical truth from time to time. We don’t have to live in foxholes and hope the bad guy’s aim is off. Instead, we have the privilege of living in the way the psalmist ended his reflections:
We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
Our heart rejoices in God
because we trust his holy name.
Lord, let your faithful love surround us
because we wait for you. — Psalm 33:20-22