Sometimes we have the dream but we are not ourselves ready for the dream. We have to grow to meet it.”
–Louis L’Amour (Bendigo Shafter)
“Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.”
–Proverbs 24:27 (NLT)
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“It is not until the flower has fallen off that the fruit begins to ripen.”
–J.C. Grey
As you read the first part of Psalm 10, keep the above quotation in mind.
1 Lord, why do You stand so far away? Why do You hide in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked relentlessly pursue the afflicted; let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.
3 For the wicked one boasts about his own cravings; the one who is greedy curses and despises the Lord.
4 In all his scheming, the wicked arrogantly thinks: “There is no accountability, since God does not exist.”
5 His ways are always secure; Your lofty judgments are beyond his sight; he scoffs at all his adversaries.
6 He says to himself, “I will never be moved—from generation to generation without calamity.”
7 Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth; trouble and malice are under his tongue.
8 He waits in ambush near the villages; he kills the innocent in secret places. His eyes are on the lookout for the helpless;
9 he lurks in secret like a lion in a thicket. He lurks in order to seize the afflicted; he seizes the afflicted and drags him in his net.
10 So he is oppressed and beaten down; the helpless fall because of his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and will never see.”
Why, oh Lord, why? Have you ever caught yourself saying these words? Don’t be alarmed or ashamed, for David expressed the same thoughts? It is one of the themes found throughout the Psalms. Look at verse 1:
“Lord, why do You stand so far away? Why do You hide in times of trouble?”
Where are you Lord? This world is a mess, our nation is in a mess. Turmoil, hatred, and even stupidity abounds. Evil, wicked and arrogant men (woman, and whatever) brag about their desires, and they mock God. Perhaps you have found yourself in the midst of adversity, pain, suffering, and wonder why God is hiding.
There is a haughtiness that is among many people out there. Look at some of the people in the news. Lawyers, politicians, entertainers, and especially media personana. Many of them think they are beyond the reach of man, and also of God. See how many of them fit in these verses.
I saw where Michelle Obama let out an obscene word in front of a live audience. The audience gasped (that shows that there is still the concept of decency out there), but later members of the media and others were applauding her for daring to use the term in public. My, my…is that verse 7?
“Cursing, deceit, and violence fill his mouth; trouble and malice are under his tongue.”
Remember, blessings and cursing cannot come out of the same mouth; it is a matter of the heart.
If you truly have a relationship with God. If you truly have an understanding of His Godhood, then you know the answer to the “whys.” It is the Who! While it is not wrong to express our pain and suffering, “we must escape the trap of feeling the Lord does not care and remains indifferent to our plight.” (George O. Wood) “One we have a glimpse of who God is, we can learn to trust him while his specific purposes remain hidden from us.” (William Petersen)
Back to Grey’s quotation. Sometimes the beauty must fade and go away before our fruit appears. The flower is not tasty, but the ripen fruit is. We are told not to bear flowers, but fruit. (cf, Matthew 7:16-20)
“I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned;
I only know at his right hand
Stands one who is my Savior.”
–Dora Greenwell