Where Do We Go From Here?

“Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.”  Proverbs 24:19-20

My alarm clock radio has always been set to a local news and talk station.  Every morning at 5:50 a.m., the radio comes on and if it is a weekday, the news will be on.  There will be reports of car accidents, riots, drive-by shootings, tornadoes, and more stories of the nation’s descent into further godlessness, one depressing, discouraging thing after another which will cause me to start the day depressed and with little hope that the world is going to change for the better any time soon.  With that realization, I got the bright idea  (and it was probably not really my idea, if you know what I mean) to change the station!  Last time I checked, there are not any news stations which only report good news like a kitten being rescued from a tree, a person being cured of cancer, or the cost of groceries going down, but there are radio stations which are much more positive and uplifting like the contemporary Christian music station in this area.  It is the songs of joy and praise that are now the first things that I hear each morning.

It has made a difference in my mood when I wake up at that early hour each day.  I have always been a fan of southern gospel music and hymns like we sang in church when I was growing up, but we don’t hear much of those old songs anymore, and that’s a shame.  However, the contemporary Christian music is really beginning to grow on me.  I think that it is wonderful that these talented young men and women are using their voices to praise Jesus and sing the gospel message.  Music styles change with the generations like many other styles in clothing, foods, hobbies, etc.  Some folks do not care for the rock style of some of the Christian songs, but most of us who grew up in the fifties and sixties still enjoy rock and roll and also enjoy the current trend in Christian music as long as it stays true to God’s word.  I don’t know for sure, but I would think that the Lord doesn’t care if the music comes from guitars and drums or a giant pipe organ as long as the lyrics are based on the gospel and the songs point to Jesus.

So what has all of this have to do with the title and verse for this blog?  There is a lot going on in this world that I don’t like.  However, I can’t change it.  All I can do is allow God to change me.  Why waste another second fretting about the condition of the world that Satan has managed to put his hateful and evil hands on?  Nothing happens out of the permissive will of God.  God hates evil, but He gave men and women free will, and humans have made a lot of bad choices along the way, the worse choice being that many have listened to the devil and his deceptive promises.   There’s one thing about worldly folks–they are consistently inconsistent.  When 9/11 happened, people packed the churches seeking answers, but it only took a few weeks for everything to go back to the way it was before that terrible day of death and tragedy.  It will be the same once the pandemic has past until the next catastrophic event occurs, and I am sure that something else will happen to disrupt the nations of the world eventually likely sooner than later.  No Jesus, no peace.

There are no words to express my gratitude to the Lord for choosing to show me the truth of His word.  This life is short compared to eternity, and eternity for the believer will make us forget every bad thing that ever happened.  Sometimes we like to think that when we get to heaven, we will ask the Lord why such and such happened, but I believe even the worst tragedies will be completely forgotten.  There is a line in one of the songs on the radio that should express the attitude of every born again person.  It is from the song, “Good God Almighty” by Crowder.  He sings, “I hope You’ll find me praising Your name no matter what comes.”  We must endure the world in which we are presently living and not let it get us down and discouraged, while we cling to the Lord and look for His promise to restore righteousness and cast out evil.  I will admit that after seeing all the things that I have seen and experienced many troubles in life, it is difficult to envision a world of perfect peace with nary a hint of evil, but it will happen because God said so.

If there is anything to fret about, it would be for all of those who have never repented and trusted Christ as Lord and Savior.  While the believer’s light will burn brightly with joy, hope, and peace, the candle of the wicked will be snuffed out, leaving them in utter darkness with no way of escape.  Our task is to warn them.  If they refuse to listen, then that’s on them.