A Word From Your Pastor

Sometimes we simply don’t know how to pray.  When evil gets so bold as to no longer disguise itself, we begin to wonder when it was that God left us.  When we witness the devastation brought about by spousal abuse or sexual assault; when we see thieves robbing relief convoys; when we see dictators ordering the systematic beating of opposition leaders we suspect that there really is only one force at work in this world and it is not the kingdom of God.  An honest assessment of life seems to demand that there is no God and only courageous people can admit this.

But perhaps when we feel this way we still lack the courage we need to see the whole picture.  It takes a deeper conviction to stay put when evil rises up and threatens to crush all in its path.  It takes fortitude of heart to see evil in all its glory and yet wait for evidence that God is near.  It takes the kind of courageous prayers we find in the Psalms.

When we want to swear off God because we are frightened by the far reaches of evil, we can find the strength we need in Psalm 10.  Here the people of God pray more honestly than we know how to.  They ask God why he hides himself in times of trouble.  They recount how the wicked persecute the poor with no concern for divine accountability.  They scoff at the police, the courts, and God himself.  They are convinced that they alone are in charge and that nothing can stop them.  Courageous people talk about these things with God. 

But courageous people don’t surrender their memories of God’s past faithfulness.  Instead, they recall how God vs. evil is never an even match and this memory gives them the strength to continue to pray.  They remember how God takes trouble and grief into his hands and they restate how often God, alone, is the advocate for orphans. 

Then they pray down evil.  They ask God to break the arm of the wicked—to prevent their ability to seize the powerless.  They insist that God hunt down every foothold of oppression until none of it can be found.  They take shelter under the truth that the LORD is King forever and ever.  And they conclude their prayers in a different state of mind.  Their hearts cry out, “O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed.” 

When we are convinced that evil has finally gotten the upper hand, let’s pick up these honest prayers so that we might know how to stay put and to watch for what God will do next.

Pastor John Anderson