And This Too Shall Pass
“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb…The wicked plotteth against the just, and smasheth upon him with his teeth. The LORD shall laugh at him: for He seeth that his day is coming.” Psalm 37:1-2,12-13
There has always been evil since the devil deceived Eve, and she and Adam disobeyed God in the only thing that God had forbidden them. Is it a coincidence that if you drop the “d” from devil, the word becomes “evil”? History has been filled with hate, murder, rape, theft, and all forms of wickedness. The pilgrims came to America to escape oppression and to begin a nation where people could be free to worship as they choose, to make lives for their families without governmental or dictatorial interference, and to pursue happiness and prosperity. Thousands upon thousands have come to America since it was founded in search of freedom and opportunity. I have never heard of anyone who lived in Miami desperately seeking to get aboard a boat and sail to Cuba.
What is different now is that there are many people including politicians and city, state, and national leaders who are promoting the evil that is taking place in major cities across our land. There have always been crooked politicians who have not cared about their constituents but mostly about trying to stay in office. It seems to me that if they were fair and effective leaders, keeping their promises that got them elected, and bringing folks together, encouraging hard work and bringing justice to the people, they wouldn’t have to worry about being re-elected. But that is not what we are seeing in many of the major population centers across America. I never thought that I would see mayors and governors, Congressmen and Senators, whose main duties in office are to keep their cities, states, and the nation peaceful and safe for all citizens, instead defend destruction, looting, and attacks upon those who dedicate their lives to public safety. I guess what is really astonishing is that many times these same leaders continue to be re-elected time after time. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over hoping for a different and better outcome. Go figure.
I believe the main reason for the evil that is permeating a society of law-abiding citizens is a direct result of the effort by many to eliminate God from public life. When leaders force churches to close, but allow demonstrators to cause all kinds of mayhem, anyone who believes in and worships God can see that Satan is doing a pretty good job of directing those under his control to do his bidding. In “The Brothers Karamazov”, the Russian author, Fydor Dostoyevski, made the statement that “if God does not exist, everything is permissible”. The writer of the book of Judges tells us that “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (21:25). Who wants to live in a world where one is fearful of stepping outside of his/her front door?
The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”. The Christian author, David Roper, wrote in his book, “Elijah, A Man Like Us”, “Men and women who embody evil are not the enemy. They are the victims of the enemy, ‘taken…..captive to do his will’ (II Timothy 2:26). It does little good to rail and rage against those whom the devil has cruelly blinded and deceived; we must rather do battle with the devil who has deceived them”. When I see those anarchists and looters on television, it is almost like they are robots or perhaps puppets who are being controlled by an evil force, and in reality, that’s exactly what is happening.
How do we do battle with the devil? We don’t do it alone, that’s for sure. I wouldn’t go out and confront a crowd of anarchists in an effort to make them change their minds. That would be suicide. What you and I can do, though, is to get on our knees and pray for God to touch their hearts and convict them of sin in the hopes that they will repent and trust Christ. That is really their only hope. The solution for doing away with evil doesn’t lie in politics. Whoever is elected this year will not be able to rid the nation of evil. That won’t happen until Christ returns and reigns. But for now, if the perpetrators of evil continue to do Satan’s bidding, choosing the path of sin and destruction, King David, the writer of Psalm 37, stated clearly that their day is coming. It may be sooner rather than later.