Ancient Words

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted. Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed.” Habakkuk 1 3-5. It’s not often that one hearkens back to one of the lesser known books of the Old Testament, but many of you may find yourself pleading to God to intervene amidst the wickedness of our time, similar to the petitions offered by the Prophet Habakkuk. It is often hard to accept the fact that God allows injustice to reign in our world without raising His almighty hand to deliver us from all those who encourage and promote evil against humanity. Even some of our elected leaders endorse violence and confrontation against those they disagree with. Civil disobedience has always been the best used tool for the radical left, but now some of our leaders revel in violating our Constitution and laws in an act of political virtue signaling while an ever growing segment of the public openly support this appalling behavior. When will God say enough is enough?

In Habakkuk’s time, God grew so impatient and angry at the disobedience and outright evil in His chosen people, the Israelites, that He allowed an even more evil people, the Babylonians to attack and defeat them, carrying them away into bondage. I can’t imagine God being more upset with His people as evil abounds in this present age. Abortion is celebrated. All types of perversion are lifted up and praised. God’s own church calls out and berates those who hold fast to the Word and uphold traditional Christian doctrine. Churches openly advocate against Israel and fall into league with terrorist organizations that would want nothing less than to convert them to Islam or kill them. The evil one must be very pleased in this world today.

Well, in this present age, the wicked do not outnumber the righteous. It may seem so, since they typically are louder, more confrontational and less encumbered by maintaining the societal norm of engaging in rational and acceptable behavior. Our tendency to respond without having all the facts present infects all sides of the political and religious spectrum. We have become our own worst enemies in dealing with conflict. The left continually blames President Trump and talk radio for the decline of our political discourse, but the left has too long been unchallenged in establishing the “acceptable political narrative”, all the while berating those with whom they disagree. Long established truths of our faith are being, not only challenged, but altered to fit in with the world. Many churches no longer teach that Jesus is the only way, that there are many other valid paths. In many ways the church has become enamored with and overcome by the world, no longer offering a path to salvation, but uplifting the selfish nature of humanity over the will of the Lord.

Listening and engaging with those who hold the same opinion without any discourse with others with differing opinions leads society to engage in group think or what is called the “silo effect”. Social media infects our discourse with quick hitting accusations from the safety of our devices without discerning all the facts. False and misleading articles from unreliable sources cause many to become enraged. Far too many simply look at headlines without even taking the time to read the article before asserting their opinion for all to see. The deliberate avoidance of any discussion about religion or politics among those holding differing opinions only leads us away from any common ground or agreement. We are trapped in our own version of reality and will discount any opinion that contrasts from our own. Left vs. right political views and the, dare I say, hijacking of religion by the left, in an attempt to dilute and minimize our faith, will continue to gnaw away at our society until we end up at each other’s throats.

So, how does a Christian live in the world, but not be overcome by the world? How do we bridge the gap and engage in respectful and meaningful dialogue with our neighbors? What would Jesus want us to do? As difficult as it seems to be, Paul declared, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21 Easier said than done, you may say. How can one engage in productive conversation with someone who will not listen? Ask questions in an attempt to better understand the other’s position. If someone is in obvious error, pattern your questioning to elicit a response that forces them to uphold their argument with logic and facts. When the wayward attempt to convince you of the validity of their argument, it likely will shine the light upon the lack of any logic to their argument. “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Avoid arguments and let the lost find their way by attempting to explain the unexplainable. Any attempt to convince will often lead to a door closing, ending any possibility to reconcile them to God. It is not us that can convince, it is the Holy Spirit. We can only attempt to plant the seeds of reconciliation; it is up to God to bring it to fruition. Once we realize that God’s got this under control, not us, we can begin to lessen our worries and concerns. “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-21