Perseverance In The Face of An Unfair World

Psalm 37: 7-9 Be still in the presence of the L ord , and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper--it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the L ord will possess the land. (NLT)

I wish I had an answer for everything. I wish I had an answer for the pain and suffering of so many people around the world. An answer for the faithful hiding underground; believing in Christ even if it means their lives. An answer for terminal illness and disability. An answer for war and poverty. An answer for the seemingly blinding hate that exists in this world. While I may not have the answers to everything that may seem unjust and unfair in this world; I know who does. And that is the very essence of our faith:

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

I have faith that while I cannot see the reasons for the inequity in life I am assured that God is still in control. I have confidence that what I hope for will actually happen, either in life on this earth or in the life to come in the house of the Lord. God is always faithful, even in the face of our own unfaithfulness:

If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is. 2Timothy 2: 13 (NLT)

David understood the faithfulness of God. Psalm 37 finds David lamenting the unfairness of life and contrasting the wicked and the just. It puts a very human face on David, as he sees the inequity in his situation as we all do today in ours. The key verses above from Psalm 37 seem to speak to those who may find themselves in what may seem to be overwhelmingly unfair situations in life and what God would say to you about it.

First of all, the Psalmist says that you must be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act. God doesn't need our help. He is God. What He expects from us is to be obedient and faithful. Even within the storm. Even within the unfair situations. Remember, Jesus Himself warned us about this life:

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16: 33 (NLT)

Our peace, even through the trials and sorrows are found only in Christ. When we look to the world for solutions we will come back disappointed and embittered. The world has nothing to offer and is probably the source of the unfairness to begin with. Note what John is saying here though. Because Christ has overcome the world we should take heart. Why? Because we now have Christ in us as born again believers. Through the Holy Spirit then we too can overcome the world and the trials it brings. But we must be still before Him and have patience. God knows the correct time. Joseph sat in prison for something he did not do for over 13 years. The woman who touched the hem of Jesus' garment suffered with the issue of blood for 12 years. We live in a microwave society where we want things done yesterday. God does not operate in our time. He is above all time. Faith is knowing He has it right; even if the eventual answer to the unfairness is "no." Moses never saw the Promised Land. The unfaithful generation of Israelites died in the wilderness.

Patience is often difficult in the face of such unfair life circumstances. But God is developing your character; refining you. The Apostle Paul spoke to this:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5: 3-5

Rejoicing in our sufferings! How can one rejoice in the face of such unfairness? Because we know that God is still in control and that this life is but a glimmer. The eternal life with God is the one that we are living for. In that life there is no suffering, body ailments, illness, disabilities, injustice, misery, or hate. Be still before God and wait patiently for His time, knowing in faith that He is in control no matter how unfair things may seem.

The second point from the key verses is that we should not worry about the prosperity of wicked people or fret about their schemes. It is an understandable human reaction in the face of unfair circumstances to compare your life with others in the world. Sometimes it must seem like you are the only person suffering as you are. That is the plot of the enemy. To get you distracted from God or even angry with God. His plan is to drive a wedge between your faith and your condition. But your condition does not define you the Holy Spirit living inside of you does:

And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. Galatians 4: 6-7

You are the child of God and His heir. Your inheritance is not limited to the life you now live on this earth. This is but a drop in the eternal bucket. While here we are to bring glory to His name and try to share the love of Christ with as many people as we can so that more can enjoy the same inheritance that we have. Our prosperity is in heaven. Our riches are in Christ Jesus. I know it is difficult but when we see the prosperity of the wicked in the face of our own suffering, we must remember that BOTH their prosperity and our suffering are temporal. They are both limited to this sliver of time we have on earth. Also, remember that the prosperous person without God is not really prosperous:

So don't be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. For when they die, they take nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them into the grave. In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success. But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day. People who boast of their wealth don't understand; they will die, just like animals. Psalm 49: 16:20 (NLT)

We often can measure things using worldly measures instead of Godly measures. The Bible says to not store up our treasures on earth because they will all rust and fade with time. Storing up treasures in heaven will never fade. Do not compare your plight to anyone else. That is just the enemy trying to drive a wedge into your faith and your condition.

Next from the key verses are warnings from God. Stop being angry! Turn from rage! Losing your temper leads only to harm. God is recognizing here the very human reactive nature to be angry in the face of injustice, pain, or suffering. But you must remember beloved that we are ultimately in control of what we feel. We choose to be angry or we choose to be happy. No one can make us feel anything we do not choose to feel. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness." That is so true. Life is fleeting enough without wasting it on negativity, bitterness and anger. It resolves nothing and is destructive by nature. It does not provide a way out of the problem, just a way to wallow in it. One of the most famous Bible quotes is Paul saying that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. That is often misunderstood and misapplied however. Here are the preceding verses to that verse to provide context:

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4: 11-13 (NKJV)

Paul is talking about endurance, perseverance, and how to be content in every situation he finds himself in. This is someone who traveled the known world. He survived being stoned, riots, shipwrecks and prisons. Paul had his share of trials and tribulations yet in all circumstances he had God and God was enough. God strengthened him to endure all situations and circumstances; no matter how unfair they may have been. Paul also wrote about anger in his letter to the Church at Ephesus:

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4: 26-27

And that is what anger does beloved. It provides a foothold for the devil in your emotions and in your thinking. Once he has secured a foothold he will seek to expand it in your life. Anger becomes rage and long term it leads to bitterness and unforgiveness. All things that distance you from God. Perhaps that anger or bitterness will even be manifest toward God. Turn from anger as the Psalmist advises here.

The last point from the key verses is the assurance that the wicked will ultimately be destroyed and that those who trust in the Lord will inherit the land. The dictionary defines trust as:

Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.

Trust is comprehensive. It does not waver. It does not doubt. Trust looks to the Lord and not the circumstances. It looks to the Lord and not the suffering. It believes the Lord will deliver at the exact perfect time, not our own. It understands that even if that deliverance is not what we envisioned that the Lord still knows best. The strength, integrity, ability and surety of God are limitless. We place the limits on God. Another Psalm sums up the confidence and trust we need to have in God:

The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. Psalm 27: 1-3

And we will possess the land. The Promised Land which God has set aside specifically for us. When the Israelites first saw the Promised Land, they did not have faith or trust in God (except Joshua and Caleb). They would end up walking around in the wilderness for 40 more years. Joseph on the other hand, never let go of the dream God had given him through 13 years in prison. He would walk into his promised land when Pharaoh made him Prime Minister of Egypt. God always follows through on His promises. The Promised Land out of your situation may not look the same as the way God has out for you but take heart because He will never leave you nor forsake you.

The world is a harsh and unfair place. There is suffering and hate everywhere. Through war and peace, disease and disability, famine and desolation; God is still God. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. His solutions are not always our solutions either. But He is the way off the mountain you are circling. He is the oasis in the desert we find ourselves in. We need to be still in His presence, wait patiently for His time, not compare ourselves to others, not allow the devil a foothold in our lives through anger, and truly trust in the Lord if we truly expect to possess the land He has for us in this life and the life to come.

Reverend Anthony Wade September 3, 2009