Pastor's Corner

What a sobering reminder Job gives (Job 27:8) of the plight of the unbeliever…

“For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?”

Jesus put it this way…

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” (Matt. 16:26-27)

It’s easy for us as believers to trip through life giving little or no thought to (or having little or no concern for) the fate of pagans. But the fact of the matter is that, when God takes away their lives, there is no more hope for them. Their only hope lies on this side of eternity in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And it’s our job to tell them that!

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14)

Ever feel this way?

“Oh, that I knew where I might find [God]. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.” (Job 23:3, 8-9)

Sometimes it seems that no matter where you look, God is nowhere to be found. Do you ever have days like that? When you do (and we all do), you really have no choice but to take God at His word that, even though He may seem absent and uninvolved, He really is…

“…our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Ps 46:1)

And so sometimes all we can do is simply….

“Be still, and know that [He is] God” (Ps 46:10)

...and let Him show up in His time and in His way.

Job asks a really good question in Job 21:7—one that, if we are honest, we would have to admit that we too have asked at least once or twice (or a thousand times) throughout our lifetimes…

“Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?”

And then he elaborates on that question over the next several verses (vv. 8-14)…

“Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry. They send out their little boys like a flock, and their children dance. They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways.’”

In other words, why does it often appear that crime indeed DOES pay? Furthermore, why does it often appear that righteousness DOES NOT?

Whenever I’m plagued with this question (and I certainly am from time to time), I turn to Psalm 37 and meditate on these timeless words (vv. 1-13)…

“Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.”

GORDON PARAPHRASE: Don’t worry about what the wicked do or how they may seem to prosper—God will deal with them in His way and in His time; worry about yourself—“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.”