Trusting God in Difficult Moments
I was talking to a wise friend who happens to also be a lawyer this morning. My friend knew I had an important meeting today and before we hung up, he said, “Let me pray for you.” Anytime someone wants to pray for me I am all in! After a couple minutes of prayer, my friend ended his prayer with, “Let Dean be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”
You probably recognize that last line as the words of James 1:19. Earlier this morning during my devotional time I had prayed for wisdom and that the Holy Spirit would help me listen well and know when to be silent and just listen. I did not pray about being slow to anger, but I will confess that when dealing with difficult people, I sometimes feel anger stirring in my heart.
Psalm 37 opens with these words: “Fret not yourself because of evildoers.” The phrase “fret not” comes from the Hebrew word, Charah, which means, “to burn with anger” or “to fume in indignation or resentment” or “to become vexed or disturbed” or “to take offense.” My friend’s spiritual discernment was right on, and I told him so. Allowing anger or indignation stir in my heart would not lead to a productive meeting. It would also not be good for my stress level!
The truth is that every day the enemy works in subtle, and not so subtle, ways to interfere and interrupt the work of God through the church. It is critical to remember that God has already secured victory over the enemy through the death, burial, and resurrection of his son Jesus. As Paul reminds us in Philippians, one day every tongue will confess and every knee will bow before Jesus.
Our issue is understanding what we are to do in the current moment when the enemy is lurking and interfering with the work of God in and around us. David tells us that wrongdoers will soon fade like grass and wither, but soon is sometimes not today. So, what are we to do with difficult people who may or may not be evil but could even unwittingly be used by the enemy to disrupt the work of God.
Fortunately, David gives us a list of actions we can take today and every day. Some days it may seem harder than others to apply these actions, but we are assured of God’s involvement and his victory when we do.
Trust in the Lord.
We are so conditioned to think that we must figure it out and be self-sufficient, yet time and time again we are told to place our trust firmly in the Lord and not lean on our understanding.
And do good.
Even when others may plan harm and do harm, as children of the light we are always called to do good. We are to mirror the love of God and not be led by our anger.
Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Dwelling in the land reminds us that the Lord is our shepherd who will watch over us, even lead us to green pastures where we will be fed. In John’s gospel, we see this theme again in the passages that speak of Jesus as our good shepherd and also from his words that we are to abide in him.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Current American culture says that we are always to win. Win the deal. Outwit the opposition. Secure the victory. David reminds us that we are to first and always seek a deeper relationship and trust in the Lord. He is the source of all good things. He will shape our hearts so that we will desire the things that align with Him and with his kingdom.
As Psalm 37 continues, we learn that there are counterintuitive things we must do so that we won’t act like the world when dealing with wrongdoers.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
We can’t be halfway in with God. We have to commit to his plans and surrender ours. Scripture assures us that when we do, God moves. And when he moves, “He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” God moves by changing our unrighteousness to his righteousness. This doesn’t happen if we stay resolute on our way and our agenda.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices.
It is so hard to be still when everything in us begs us to act and act now. But almost always, our haste is an indication of our fear and sometimes our anger. When we stop, take a breath, and be still before the Lord, our patience will grow, and our anger will subside.
David ends this psalm with a phrase that Jesus used in his sermon on the mount: “The meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.” In the sermon on the mount, Jesus says that the peacemakers are called the sons of God. We need to remember that God always takes care of his children.
I got through my meeting. It was difficult. But my friend’s prayer was answered. I did not act in anger. Issues are yet to be resolved in my situation, and I suspect you probably have issues that are yet to be resolved as well. What we are promised is that when we place our full trust in God, he will direct our paths, and as he does, we will experience his peace, his protection, and his provision.
Father, thank you for clear and direct teaching from your word that tells us how we are to act when facing difficulties and even enemy attacks. In the stillness of this moment, we surrender to you and declare our complete trust and dependence on you. Fill us with your peace that we might glorify you in how we live our lives today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 37:1-11; James 1:19-21 ESV
Photo by Jari Näf
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