A Spotlight on Your Thoughts

Psalms 94

‘LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it"...“Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood. But the LORD is my defense, and my God is the rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.” (V. 3,6,7,17-23)

The psalmist offers a response to burdened souls in this season of distress. We are all familiar with the rampant lawlessness and corruption in our world. When we reflect on how far we have fallen as a nation in such a short time and see ever-growing attacks on justice, we may drift into a sense of despair. The words from the passage above remind us that our concerns are not new. The psalmist's insight can offer us hope for tomorrow. But we must apply ourselves to the same answer he claimed for his strength

The answer to remaining resilient in a lawless society is found within the verses. He states, “In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul. "

Our thoughts are constantly bombarded by what we hear and see, with the concerns that it burdens us. If we can't be selective and discreet about our distracting thoughts, we can easily be swayed and play the role of a victim in this lawless society. The survival of our faith and the assurance of hope will depend on where we choose to focus our thoughts. If we concentrate solely on the injustice of our world, we can only expect to live our lives in fear, thinking God is not in control. If we can see our roles as students developing our faith through life's classroom, we will expect God to fulfill his promises. Then, when justice does come, we will celebrate the salvation of our hope while having the reassurance of our faith.

Hang in there, my friends. Remember, you are in class.