Our Mess, God's Plan.
Our world is a mess.
Sometimes we recognize it.
Most of the time, we don’t recognize it.
My first car was a 1977 (I think) Volkswagen Bug. As a teenager, I was not the best at keeping the inside of the car all that clean. When I’d have a soda in the car, the can went in the back seat. When I’d enjoy a candy bar, the wrapper went in the back seat. When I’d stop by the local Arby’s for a sandwich (since our little Wyoming podunk town didn’t have a large enough population to get a McDonalds), the sandwich box went in the back seat.
Gas receipts? Back seat.
Graded assignments? Back seat.
At one time, there was a small collection of dirty socks in the back seat of the Volkswagen Bug.
Since I drove the car daily, I didn’t notice.
Not until I was heading home late from school one night after Jazz Band practice and a classmate asked me for a ride.
Then I began to panic, making up excuses for why I would have loved to have given her a ride but couldn’t.
My car was always a mess.
Most of the time, I didn’t notice until the mess was brought to the forefront.
Our society has been a mess for a while, but in the last week, it has become very apparent just how much of a mess it has really become.
We all know the mess to which I am referring.
A man named George Floyd violently and tragically lost his life at the hands of police officers who had pledged to protect and serve. While many reacted to this awful even with appropriate anger and lament, others responded by looting, rioting, and perpetrating acts of violence against others.
In the six days since Mr. Floyd was unjustly murdered, businesses and homes have been burned to the ground, store owners and police officers have been injured, and the number of fatalities related to the rioting is starting to increase.
Our society is a mess, but it has always been a mess, it is only now that we see it.
So how can we respond?
Psalm 61 gives us a clue to a solution.
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. (Psalm 61:1–3, ESV)
The hope David is speaking of in this passage comes to us in three ways.
First, David directs his cries for help to the Lord.
Our world isn’t going to do that. Our world is going to look at any solution and every solution to the problem other than the Lord. For some, the answer will be political, and they will hope to get the right person into a position of political power to solve our problems for us. For others, the problem will be solved when other people change and start to see the world precisely the way they see it.
David’s response was to look to the Lord.
Second, David recognizes that God’s wisdom is higher than his own, and the solution isn’t likely harmonious with David’s initial reaction.
Isaiah says the same thing when he proclaims:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV)
This is a humbling truth, but it is still true; our first reactions, to most situations, are wrong.
Unless we have sought God, we will not have a godly reaction.
David said that his vantage point was insufficient, so he asked to be led to a higher rock to have a better vantage point and a greater degree of security.
Third, David reminded himself of God’s faithfulness.
The Lord is still our refuge and strength. He is still the tower that stands against the enemy of our souls.
I have some bad news.
The enemy isn’t done, causing chaos. We have not seen the end of injustice, violence, rioting, looting, prejudice, death, and destruction.
I also have some excellent news.
Jesus offers us a refuge to find safety from the enemy. He is a strong tower that withstands the enemy of our souls. He has a plan amid our mess, to care for those who trust in Him.
Keep safe, be well, and stay encouraged.
Brian