An Exercise in Futility

“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I Am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”  Jeremiah 9:23-24

A lot of folks depend on things other than the Lord to see them through not only trouble, but throughout life.  However, all of these other things will fail because they have no eternal power.  Men and women attempt to trust in human wisdom, in wealth, and in human strength, but while these things might give a temporary reprieve from trouble, they cannot bring lasting peace and security.  God warned His rebellious people of Judah that it was futile to believe that any efforts on their part using their wisdom, wealth, or strength could halt the destruction that was to come upon them because of their idolatry.  The one thing that would stop God’s wrath from being brought to bear upon them was something they didn’t want to do–they didn’t want to admit to and repent from their sin and then return to serving the LORD God and Him only.

They didn’t really believe that God would allow His beloved city of Jerusalem to be destroyed, but His people were more important to Him than any city or building, and He would do whatever was necessary to restore His people to Himself.  It was and is not humanly possible to fight battles without God’s help.  Matthew Henry wrote, “All human force is nothing without God, worse than nothing against Him”.  Job asked Bildad, his friend, “who has hardened himself against God, and prospered?” (Job 9:4b).

There are many people today who are like those people of Judah.  They have no regard for God and don’t believe that He will judge them.  We know that they exist because we hear them and see them every day either in person, on television, or online.  I saw a report on television that there are some folks who are protesting ads to be shown during the Super Bowl which proclaim the name of Jesus and His love for humanity.  There is so much power in the name of Jesus that the mention of His name causes some people to turn vicious and vulgar in their protests.  People can hear the name of God and not react the same way likely because, to them, God can mean whatever they want it to mean.  But say the name of Jesus, and it is if someone has threatened them.  That someone could be the Holy Spirit convicting them or their own sin haunting them.  They know they are troubled in their minds, but they can’t figure out what is causing it.  Thus, they react worse than spoiled brats.  They accuse Christians of having narrow minds when their minds are closed to the truth.

While it is futile to glory in and depend on human efforts to fight a battle against God or even against Satan without God’s help, it is wise to glory in God and to know Him as Lord and Savior.  It is the LORD who fills the earth with His loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, all qualities and possessions that He delights in.  God desires to bless His people rather than punish them.  A parent delights in blessing his or her children, but also knows that punishment is required at times to correct the children in order to teach them to obey and to set them on the path of doing right and not wrong.  God is our Father, and He blesses us immensely, but He also must correct us to keep us on the straight and narrow path in order that we will be lights shining in a world of darkness to lead others to Christ.

Speaking from personal experience in times of suffering, trials, and tragedies, the only real comfort that I had was knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Relatives and friends, especially those of one’s church family, are great helps in time of loss and need, but as much as they help, they cannot do what Jesus does in bringing comfort and a calm spirit.  Sometimes folks don’t know what to say, and they say something that doesn’t really help the one who is suffering.  However, Jesus speaks exactly what we need to hear when we are hurting.  One who experiences deep loss in this life and who is not a follower of Jesus Christ may survive his or her turmoil, but he or she will never be able to come to a place of acceptance and real peace because those qualities are only found in Christ.  Jesus never said that we had to like those hard things that happen to us, but we have to learn to accept them and trust that Jesus has a purpose in all that He does.  Paul wrote in Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”.  I know that we still have to live in this sin-cursed world for however long God allows, but the glory of heaven will be here before you know it.