Today’s
Scripture Reading (June 4, 2019): Psalm
64
Neil Gaiman in his fantasy novel
“American Gods” writes;
“There's never been a true war that
wasn't fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the
right. The really dangerous people believe they are doing whatever they are
doing solely and only because it is without question the right thing to do. And
that is what makes them dangerous.”
This is true whether the war is
fought with bullets or if the conflict is one fought with verbal rhetoric. It
is what scares me the most about our political situations around the world. We
seem to have convinced ourselves that we are on the side of right and that
there is no chance that the other party possesses any truth. We name call; we
insult, we take advantage of the flaws of our opponent, all because we are
convinced of the righteousness or rightness of our position. The line between
satire and political rhetoric has been completely destroyed as the sureness of
our position is elevated. And we are convinced that the goal is the most
important thing. How we get there doesn’t really matter.
One of the most common arenas for
this political battle between the church and culture is in the area of
abortion. Pro-life and pro-choice groups meet to do battle with the absolute
assurance that they stand in the position of righteousness. And because they
are right, it doesn’t matter how they get to their goal. They can outright lie,
exaggerate, protest, resort to name calling, sabotage or sometimes even murder
(I have never understood how someone who believes in the sanctity of life can
take a life to reach their goal, but it has happened) all in the name of what
they believe. And because they are secure in the righteousness of their
actions, they become very dangerous.
We need to hear David’s words.
Those who are righteous take joy in the actions of the Lord and they hide in
him. We have faith that God will accomplish what he wants to achieve. And we
will rejoice in whatever that might be. I have been taught that I need to be
sure of my position, to use words like ‘I know’ rather than ‘I believe.’ But I
am becoming more and more convinced that that advice makes me dangerous. I know
very little. I follow God, trust in him and what he does, try to find truth in
divergent beliefs, content that God will accomplish what needs to be
accomplished. The political rhetoric is above my paygrade. He has instructed me
to reflect his love into the world. And it is only in that love that I am sure.
And so I will trust and hide in him as he loves the world. And I will rejoice
in him and in what he does, even if what he does is often a surprise to me.
Tomorrow’s Scripture
Reading: Psalm 65
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