Who
are your enemies? Where is there
adversity in your life? Who makes your
blood boil? Who has betrayed you? Whose
actions fill your heart and mind with obsessive thoughts of how to respond or
seek revenge? I bet most of you have an
image of someone or more.
Social media has been full of more hate filled vitriol in
the last two weeks then I care to see. A
friend reminded me this morning that since the birth of Facebook we are apt to
judge people solely based on their Facebook profile and news feed. We do not take the time to sit down and have
a conversation with someone before we make a judgement on whether they are
friend or foe. Enemy lines are quickly
drawn between political parties, between left and right, conservative or
liberal, and between and within denominations.
As I have driven around over the last two weeks I have
been saddened by the eerie feeling I have that we, as a country, are
regressing. People are driving around
with their war flag raised on their vehicles and on their porches. Confederate flags, rainbow flags, American flags,
they are proudly flying everywhere to alert the public to whose side you are
fighting for. I myself find myself easily
judging the persons who are flying the “wrong” flag and I am ashamed that I am
judging a person I don’t even know.
The Psalmist of Psalm 27 didn’t deal with his enemies by
taking it up on Facebook. He took it up
with God. First he recognized who God is
to him. “The Lord is my light and my
salvation: whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life of whom
shall I be afraid?” (vs. 1) He then acknowledges what he himself will
do. “I will seek.” (vs. 4) “I will sing.” (vs. 6). “I will seek your face O Lord.” (vs. 8) The psalmist recognizes that no
matter who betrays or forsakes him God will take care of him. (vs. 10)
After a prayer of deliverance from his enemies, the psalmist concludes
his psalm with some very wise advice. He
says: “Wait on the Lord: Be of good
courage, and he shall strengthen your heart.
Wait, I say, on the LORD!.” (vs.
14)
I challenge you the next time you are faced with
adversity whether it is in your personal life or through something you read in social
media that makes your blood boil, to be still, to Wait on the Lord and to take
your cares to the Lord through the praying of Psalm 27. Make this Psalm your prayer in those moments
of adversity.
I further challenge you to practice this habit in regards
to Facebook: Before you comment on
someone’s status or before you post a Facebook status to your own page about something
divisive, STOP and pray before you comment.
Chances are you will change your mind about writing that post or
comment.
I offer these words in the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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