Experience had taught him to take the exigencies of his turbulent life as they came, nonchalantly, to the eye of an observer indifferently, getting all the comfort the situation had to offer.”
–William MacLeod Raine (Crooked Trails and Straight)
“When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”
–John 21:9-10 (NIV)
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Do troubles seem to dog your footsteps? Do you feel like the world is out to get you? Look at the situation that we’re currently in and behind the scenes, in some places, the wicked are trying to destroy the things of God. Some are using the havoc of the situation to help them fulfill their evil agenda. Let’s look at this section of Psalm 37 to see if we can gain a glimmer of truth and hope.
12 – The wicked person schemes against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him.
13 – The Lord laughs at him because He sees that his day is coming.
14 – The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the bow to bring down the afflicted and needy and to slaughter those whose way is upright.
15 – Their swords will enter their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 – The little that the righteous man has is better than the abundance of many wicked people.
17 – For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.
18 – The Lord watches over the blameless all their days, and their inheritance will last forever.
19 – They will not be disgraced in times of adversity; they will be satisfied in days of hunger.
20 – But the wicked will perish; the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures, will fade away—
they will fade away like smoke.
21 – The wicked man borrows and does not repay, but the righteous one is gracious and giving.
22 – Those who are blessed by Him will inherit the land, but those cursed by Him will be destroyed. (HCSB)
This is one of the few places in the Scriptures where it is stated that God laughs. He laughs as the wicked plot and scheme; He is the righteous Judge and knows that it is for naught for He sees the day of their judgment. Man may do his best to thwart God, attempt to turn God’s moral code into shambles, mock holiness, and cause derision, but God just laughs. Maybe we should be a “Selah” there and just think of that for a moment.
In these times of trial God watches over us. The New Living Translation puts verse 18, “day by day” the Lord watches over us. He will take care of His own, His mercies are fresh and new every morning. There may be wars, famine, and pestilence, but God is there and He will care for us.
Don’t seek to appease evil. Don’t covet their possessions or their lifestyle. It may seem they have things going their way, but they will never succeed. Right now they do not hear the laughter of God as He sits on His throne in heaven. They do not realize, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!” (Hebrews 10:31, HCSB) Therefore, do not look at the abundance of the wicked, but be grateful for what the Lord has given you.
“Through waves and clouds and storms
His power will clear your way;
Wait for his time; the darkest night
Shall end in brightest day.”
–Paul Gerhardt
A little side-note to the above verses. “This hymn, ‘Give to the Winds Your Fears,’ became popular in Germany, second only in fame to Luther’s ‘A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.’ School children sang it as a graduation hymn, and in the United States, when the first Lutheran church was opened in Philadelphia in 1743, Gerhardt’s hymn was the first to be sung.” (William J. Petersen)