Sometimes stuff happens around you, beyond your control. At other times, people behave in a way that could only be described as evil, and I mean that in the Biblical sense - opposite of good - with God defining those terms. Unfortunately, that behavior can come from those you believe to be allies, and the best way I can describe that is in a word - pain.
Oh, man, there are so many ways I go could with this, and even stay in the Bible doing so. So let's start with one of the most powerful Psalms I know - Psalm 37. Verse 1 spells it out, as here is what God says to those who love Him:
"Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." (KJV)
That is a great reminder, coming from God. And really, that opening verse says it all. As painful as it can be to be on the receiving end of evil, it can be very frustrating to see the evildoers prosper in spite of their actions, and God seems to say "Please don't worry, let Me handle this." Which brings me to another great passage in Psalm 46: "Cease striving, and know that I am God." (NASB) Yeah, I know the KJV and every other translation says "Be still," but the word is literally "stop striving." Easy to read, hard to do. But it comes from God, and that is good. It doesn't get any better than God's idea of "good."
In Psalm 55, David is betrayed, hurt deeply, not by his enemies, but by a supposed close friend. It happened to him. It happens to us, and it stinks, to put it plainly. David turned to the Lord. Really, who else could He trust so deeply? Oh, he had his troubles and concerns, yet his heart stayed trained on God.
James 1 tells us to count it joy when we face trials, literally to make up our mind ahead of time to remember the joy we have in Christ when the trials come, and they will. It's not that they might come, they will, and they will hurt. And we then choose how to respond: sin, or trust in Him more. Again, easy to read, hard to do.
Some great passages to try to bring to mind when the rotten stuff of this world happens, when the rotten stuff even inside the church happens. God's justice is sufficient. Let Him handle it. Easy to say, very, very hard to do that. Pray with me that we can better trust in Him. Pray with me that those who wrong us might recognize their sin in the light of God's Word. Pray with me that those outside of Christ will find their comfort in Him and His Word and come to know Him. And pray with me that those who need to heal can find that healing in the Lord, even through the help of believers who love them, because of Him.
Holding Fast to the Name of our Creator
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