Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“I say, “Keep the king’s command!” because of the oath to God. Don’t be hasty to go out of his presence. Don’t persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him, for the king’s word is supreme. Who can say to him, “What are you doing?” Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure. For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him.”
(Ecclesiastes 8:2-6)

“Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet were almost gone.
    My steps had nearly slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant,
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no struggles in their death,
    but their strength is firm.
They are free from burdens of men,
    neither are they plagued like other men.
Therefore pride is like a chain around their neck.
    Violence covers them like a garment.
Their eyes bulge with fat.
    Their minds pass the limits of conceit.
They scoff and speak with malice.
    In arrogance, they threaten oppression.
They have set their mouth in the heavens.
    Their tongue walks through the earth.
Therefore their people return to them,
    and they drink up waters of abundance.
They say, “How does God know?
    Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
(Psalm 73:1-11)

Wicked people don’t always get ‘caught’ from OUR point of view. Slumlords profit while their tenants suffer. Dictators thrive and hundreds of thousands of citizens are killed. Sweatshops. Sex trafficking. Mutilating children. Abuse. Financial fraud. Governments slowly taking away the rights of people. Ungodly religions spreading and given more space while Christians are punished for speaking truth. It happens all around us all the time. And when the wicked ‘get away’ with it, it helps them choose to double down on their behaviour. It helps others choose to go the way of the wicked. Because if they’re not getting immediately punished, it must be because they either aren’t doing anything wrong, or God doesn’t care what they’re doing. Sadly, that fits human thinking REALLY well.

God is MERCIFUL. That’s why we aren’t judged right away. God LOVES us. That’s why He takes the time to be merciful. Showing His goodness in MANY ways to show His moral character. God gives us TIME to realize that His command is not arbitrary. It is not for HIS benefit. It is for OUR benefit. God will delay judgment for as long as He can to give us that chance. But sooner or later, He gives us the result we are insisting on. The result we choose. That can come during the human lifetime, but it will ALWAYS come after it is over. We are SPIRITUAL creatures. We NEVER cease. The question is whether we use our time to get close and stay close to God or whether we reject His presence and go our own way. There is ALWAYS a consequence to our decision. We humans, with our limited perspective, do NOT always see it.

Summary

What we see happening in the world is not always what is happening in the world. We understand ‘spin’ and ‘media angles’. We’re familiar with politician speech. But we also need to understand the spiritual aspect of our lives and our world. There is a right way. There is only ONE right way. Human thinking doesn’t matter. Our feelings don’t matter. Our perception doesn’t matter. It is TRUE and it is FOUNDATIONAL. All creation was created out of that truth. It is OBJECTIVE. God knows it. God IS it. We need to acknowledge Him and stick with Him no matter what. When we do, we get a God’s eye view on everything. It all falls into place (although it is NOT always explained). There is PEACE in seeing things from God’s point of view. Knowing that no matter what is playing out HERE, we KNOW that we KNOW that He is in charge and He WILL reward the godly and He WILL give the ungodly what they have chosen. He gives us the two options, He tells us what the consequences are, and He exhorts us to choose LIFE.