Trust in the Lord
with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all
you do,
and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs
3:5-6
There is a tight rope to walk when walking the path of
worldly and Godly righteousness. I
struggle when there are two sides of seemingly the same godly coin. For example, I was reading an article about
protests having no place in Christianity.
It used the verses of James 5 to emphasize this stating, “Dear brothers
and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers
who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly
look for the valuable harvest to ripen.
You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is
near.” (James 5:7-8) The emphasis was on
patiently waiting for the Lord to exact justice on those who would be either
oppressive or doing wrong.
This is stark comparison to that of the beliefs of civil
rights leaders. One in particular named
Martin Luther King, Jr came to mind. A
famous quote of his says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere.” Where might this be
biblically prevalent? There are many
areas, but one that speaks directly to this is Proverbs 31 where is says,
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those
being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get
justice.” (Proverbs 31:7-8) So which is
right? The author of the article later
noted that not all protests were wrong to push for justice, but he elaborated
that some protests are not founded biblically.
I could see his point, but it led me to ask some very difficult
questions. How are we to know when to
wait for God and when to act? Are all
peaceful protests right, and are all violent ones wrong?
The answer lies in the prayer of serenity. It simply states:
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Serenity is defined as the state of being calm and
unruffled. The word is not used in the
Bible, but is referred to in many ways (ex. “The Lord turn his face toward you and
give you peace.” Numbers 6:26). Another word that comes to mind is
‘humility.’ Why? Because it opens one’s heart to God and
removes all selfish motives as noted in James 4:7, which says, “So humble
yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Serenity and humility are crucial when navigating a
righteous path. Today’s verses are good
fundamental marching orders, but they are only part of the story. We want to trust in the Lord, but how sure
are we that what we are doing is God’s will?
How are we to trust that which we do not understand? Do we even know if we are seeking His
will? It is a complicated road and we
can potentially either oversimplify or over complicate it. Thus, it becomes crucial that we put
ourselves in a state where we can best hear God. That’s the serenity part. Furthermore, we must ensure our hearts are
focused on God and not ourselves. That’s
the humility part. If we can merge the
two together, we can have a full view on what next steps to take. We march bravely if needed or stay patient
and wait for further instruction. Therefore,
these two things together are crucial in ensuring our steps taken are the right
ones.
God is with us each step of the way. The world will continue to throw challenges. Thus when we are dealing with a situation
whether it be simple or complex, we must ensure that we are in the best
position to hear God and with an open mind and heart that will speak to God in
a way that pleases Him. Then, we will
have the best chance toward success.
What process can you take to ensure you have serenity when going to
God? How can you approach Him with a
humble heart? My prayer is we are
holding on to God’s hand as we walk across the spiritual tight rope. Amen.
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