"Where Do We Go From Here?"
Our attention has been captured this past week by the attack that has taken place in our own country. The sight of planes flying into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon caused all of us to stop our normal routines and fix our attention on New York and Washington D.C. The sight of the tallest buildings in our country crumbling like sandcastles was beyond anything that any of us could have ever imagined. The thought that terrorist could attack the most secure building in our country, possibly in the world, has caused many Americans to fear their own safety.
This past week I have read and read some more, newspapers and other news sources on the Internet, to see how we as Americans are understanding these experiences that we are going through. Fear and confusion have a grip upon this land like steel in the clutches of an iron vice. Anger is turning into rage as many American’s shock is turning quickly into a thirst for vengeance.
At the same time there is another voice that is rising up in our country - a voice of encouragement, a voice of hope, a voice of faith, not fear. The word that I have heard is that there is a line of New Yorkers that has formed just outside of where the rescue workers are leaving their work to go to the hospitals, resting places, and to gain more equipment. These New Yorkers have made signs saying, "You Are Our Heroes!" and "We Are With You!" There are people all over the country who are giving blood, school children who are writing cards, sending Teddy Bears, and collecting anything and everything that those in New York and Washington D.C. might need during this time of anxiety and unspeakable heartache.
For us, as Oklahomans, this heartache sings a sorrowful song that we know all too well. We don’t even know the sheet music to be able to sing with our brothers and sisters in the East on this day. When the planes struck the building and chaos quickly filled the atmosphere of New York and Washington D.C. I began to pray for the ministers of New York and Washington D.C. I also prayed for the rescue workers who would see, during the next few days and weeks, sights that they have never seen before. These people were so heavy on my heart because I went down to the Murrah building a few hours after the bombing to pray for and listen to rescue workers who were helping. I worked in the morgue for a few hours the first night and saw the shock experienced by those who were receiving the body bags coming out of the building. I was with the families downtown for two weeks sharing with them, praying for them, and holding them as they cried. You need more than strength to hold up during times like these, you need the help of Almighty God and I know He is giving them strength even now.
I want to encourage you to continue to pray for these folks. I will assure you that the ministers who are there on site feel less than adequate, but they are more than needed. I read a story on Wednesday night written by a priest who has been at the site since it happened. He is praying for the dying, comforting the family members who are waiting, and holding hospital workers, police officers, firefighters, and everyone else whose world has come apart at the seams.
I’ve read about churches that opened their doors right after the planes struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and they have not closed since that time. A friend of mine who works in the White House and whose husband was taking their little girl to the Pentagon Day Care Center right after the plane struck that building, left her duties at the White House to make sandwiches at her church for those working downtown to save lives. God’s people are busy my friends. They are busy not just in New York and Washington D.C., but they are busy all around this country serving as agents of hope, providers of whatever is necessary for those in need, and to pray at all times.
We could spend all of our time this morning just telling stories -- stories of hope, tragic loss, and miraculous events that spared lives. We could also spend our time telling stories of fear, anxiety, confusion, and rage. There are so many people who are afraid like they have never been afraid before. There are people who are angry and wanting to see vengeance take place and we could tell their stories. You can find those stories on the television and read about them in countless newspapers andon the Internet if you like, but I would like to do something all together different this morning.
I want us to talk about, "where do we go from here?" There are all kinds of theories about what we should do now. Some say that we should tighten airport security; others say that we should send all people from the Middle East out of our country; some say that we should make our buildings safer, and still others are saying that we need a stronger military. It is easy for common folk like you and me to share our opinions about these matters because we don’t have any power to bring about any of those changes. We can talk and talk and talk, but our talk will only be that...talk.
There is something that we, common, ordinary folk that we are, can do in a time like this when the hearts of American’s are broken and when people’s fears are heightened. First, we can seek God, cling to God, rest in Him, and cry out to Him for all of the troubles that weigh our hearts down. Second, we can comfort those around us. Let’s take a look at Psalm 37 as we begin our study.
1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. 12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. (Psalm 37:1-15 NIV)
I want to give you a little background on this powerful Psalm before we dig in and glean from its lessons for our life today. The Psalm is attributed to David, who knew what it was like to be hunted down, persecuted, and hated. From the time before David was ever crowned as King, his predecessor, King Saul, the first King of Israel, sought to kill him. With Saul in pursuit of David’s life, David refrained from seeking vengeance upon Saul. He had more than one opportunity to kill Saul, but David would not do it.
There are others who say that this Psalm was written during the time of the Jews captivity in Babylon. They saw their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends murdered before their eyes. They were carried away as slaves into a foreign country to live as aliens, mocked by those who served false gods, but who seemed to be prospering while they who worshipped YHWH were suffering.
With that background, I hope you can see that we are not the first people to suffer. We are not the first people who have felt that we have been treated unfairly. And we are certainly not the first people who have felt insecure and afraid. In the midst of fear, uncertainty, and overwhelming feelings of vulnerability God speaks to us in America, in 2001, with the same clarity and confidence that He spoke to His people many years ago.
Let’s take a look at verses 1-2 as we begin our study this morning. Notice, as we read these verses, the first bit of counsel that showers down upon us from Heaven.
1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. (Psalm 37:1-2 NIV)
What we see in verse 1 is a warning to us. The NIV translation along with the NKJV translation of the Bible translates the Hebrew word, "Khawraw," as "fret." That really doesn’t give you and me a good understanding of God’s counsel to us. The New Century Version says, "Do not be upset..." - that still doesn’t convey the intensity of the word in Hebrew. The Hebrew word used here is, "hr’x" (khaw-raw). The word is used 90 times in the Hebrew Bible and let me share with you the definition of the word so that you can see that it doesn’t equate with our understanding of "fret" at all. The word means, "to be hot, furious, burn, become angry, be kindled, to be angry with, be incensed, to heat oneself in vexation."
When we use the word, "Fret," we mean, "to be anxious, to worry, be nervous, or uneasy about something." The word here means to become "incensed, furious," or "to burn with anger." This is such a good word of counsel for us today facing the future decisions that we will have to make. There are many in our country today who are calling for heads to roll. I’ve heard so many news media people talk about the "rage" that is rising up in our country. I heard a child psychologist say that we need to validate our children’s rage. I would encourage you not to heed his advice. I’ve seen news reports of Muslim children who have been beaten up and driven to fear. I’ve seen video of Muslim Mosques that have been bombed with Molotov cocktails. Anger and rage are rising up, but God’s Word tells us to not go that route.
I was reading a note on the internet this past week where someone was encouraging the people of our country to turn to God during this time and trust in Jesus to calm our fears and exact His judgment on those who are guilty. Two men wrote in response to this wise counsel and said,
Where was Jesus when the planes were hijacked and the passengers were killed? Where was he when the planes were forced into the towers, pentagon, and an old strip mine in Pennsylvania? Where was he with the deaths and mayhem in N.Y.? Never mind praying, its time to turn this around and start kicking ***...
The second response was really to the man who was mocking Jesus and calling for us to rise up and kick people’s behinds. He writes,
Amen. Save the fairy tales. Now is the time to take heads. There is no Superman, Batman, or Jesus. We need to do something about this act of terrorism, not wait for a myth, a pacifier for people in need, that’s all religion is. This is real! There is no time to waste on mythical people to come to the rescue.
My friend these men are not isolated attitudes that are present in our land at this time. The counsel of those who are outraged may be to make sure that heads roll by our own hands, but let me assure you that God’s counsel to you and me if far different. Again in Psalm 37:7-8 we read,
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil. (Psalm 37:7 NIV)
I hope you didn’t miss the last phrase of verse 8 - "It leads only to evil." When we give anger and rage a foothold in our life, then absolutely nothing good is going to come from it. It doesn’t matter if you rage is rooted in the bombing of the Murrah Building, the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, or you have a disagreement with your husband, wife, or co-worker - rage and anger will rot you from the inside out.
God counsels us to resist the urge to burn with anger. I don’t think it is any accident that this is the first bit of counsel from God given to us when we face situations that would normally stir anger and rage within us. Resist my friend and rest in the Lord. God has given our government the authority, according to Romans 13, to deal with those who have done this horrible thing, but He has also given us the responsibility to resist rage and to rest in Him and His Sovereignty to bring justice to our attackers.
I would encourage you to think about something. When we say, "We are going to get back at them, we are going to make heads roll, we are going to destroy our enemies..." we are saying that we will trust in "us" and our power to execute justice. God calls us to renounce our claims to power in order that we might declare our dependence upon Him and His Sovereign power.
This has been a problem for us as Americans for some time. We have grown arrogant because of our money and power. Because of our might we think we can rest in peace and not have to trust in God to protect our borders, our homes, and our very lives. We don’t need God, we have the Pentagon, the armed forces, and the power of the bomb to protect us. We think that because we are the richest nation in the world that we can buy our way out of anything. If we don’t have it then we can get it because we have the financial means to do so.
Just this past week, I was talking to my family about what had taken place when I asked them, "What are the two things that Americans value more than anything else?" After we talked for a little bit I told them that I believe we value "money" and "power" more than anything. I said, "Look at what was attacked in our country - The World Trade Center - the center of finance in America; and the Pentagon - the most secure building in all of the world, the strongest symbol of power in all the world. The money and power of America have proven to be false gods. They can’t save us! They can’t shield us! They can’t protect us! They can’t comfort us when our hearts are broken! We can’t trust in them, but we can trust in God. In verse 3 we read,
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. (Psalm 37:3 NIV)
"Trust" is not a mere emotion or simply trite words spoken, but a conscious act of the will. Trust is placing our absolute confidence in God regardless of the situation at hand or the lack of evidence we do not possess. The Hebrew word, "xj;B" (batach), which is translated "trust," is used 120 times in the Hebrew Bible. The word means, "to trust in, to have confidence, to be secure," or "to feel safe." Oh, what awesome encouragement this is for us today my friends. There are so many of us, even those of us who are sitting in God’s house this morning, who do not feel safe, who do not have confidence that God is able regardless of whatever comes our way. I read just this past week a letter from a young student who needs, more than anything, to know the truth of God’s Word. She writes,
Do I feel safe? How can I? If it isn’t psycho teenagers with guns attacking a high school, then it’s terrorists hijacking our aircrafts and destroying our major national buildings with them, and in doing so, slaughtering thousands--possibly tens of thousands-- of innocents. There’s no such thing as "safe" anymore. I’m growing up and living in a time fueled by hate, greed, and violence. I can handle going to school and feeling a tad bit unsafe, but now I have to flip out every time I go into a tall building too? People keep saying "we must retaliate!" and in a way I agree, but we shouldn’t have to retaliate. This whole thing shouldn’t have occurred! What’s wrong with people in this world? I keep hearing "I’ll pray for the people who died and their families" and I can’t help but think that it won’t do any good. Those people will still be dead. Their families will still be hurting. Nothing will change that, so I’ll just save my breath.
We need not save our breath, we need to confess our trust in God and Him alone. The Psalmist says,
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)
In the book of Proverbs we read that we are not to fear man, but we are to trust in God, the One who is our safety.
25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. (Proverbs 29:25 NIV)
There have been those who have gone before us who have wrestled with the question of being beaten down by the enemy. The Psalmist wrestled with those thoughts, but his final conclusion was to trust in the Lord. As he trusted in the Lord his heart began to sing. Read along with me in Psalm 13:2-6,
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? 3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; 4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. (Psalm 13:2-6 NIV)
We can trust in God. He is faithful. He has always been faithful to those who were under attack and cried out to Him for comfort and strength in the midst of their hurt and fear.
We can also make our home in this land and feel safe in the Father’s arms. There is no need for us to think about, "Would I be more safe if I lived in the country, outside of this urban area? Should I move my family away from Tinker Air Force Base where we wouldn’t be such a target?" We are safe in the providential care of Almighty God when we trust in Him. That doesn’t mean that we will not see trials. Trusting God is not a rabbit’s foot that will bring us good luck, but it will provide for us the confidence we need to face the most unnerving of situations with confidence in our King. That really is the meaning of the second half of this verse where the Psalmist says, "Dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture."
The Hebrew word for "dwell" means, "to reside, to rest, to dwell, to settle down, or to abide." We are all right right where we are my friends. A few years ago, when the Columbine shootings took place, a lady came out of a prayer service and told a pastor, "I need to register my kids in a private school. If I don’t do it today, all the places will be taken." The lady feared for her children and we can all relate to that feeling when incidents happen at our kid’s schools. But the fact of the matter is that before the shootings took place, parents at Columbine High School believed that it was a safe place with great teachers, a relaxed campus, and wonderful students. Nobody would have ever dreamed that something like that could have happened in southwest Denver. After the shootings took place we found out that one of the fathers whose son was killed moved his kids from a school in another district to Columbine because it was safe. There is no safe place outside of the Father’s arms. Even in the Father’s arms storms will roar, towers will topple, and blood will be shed, but He will keep us and hold us into eternity.
Last of all, I want to share one more verse with you before we go this morning. I share this Scripture with you because I feel that the more the chaos rages and the longer this goes on, the more we need to be still before the Father and allow Him to minister to us. The Psalmist says in verse 7,
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:7 NIV)
God counsels us to be "still" before His presence when catastrophe comes upon us. We are not to make rash judgments, fall apart in hopeless despair, or become incensed with rage, but we are to wait upon the Lord. The Hebrew word, "~m;D’" (damam) means, "to be silent, to be still, to make quiet." Let me show you some of the places in God’s Word where this powerful little word appears. In Psalm 4:4, the Psalmist says,
4 In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah (Psalm 4:4 NIV)
In the book of Lamentations, while the people of God suffered greatly, they were sitting in silence before the Lord. Sitting in silence does not mean we are being apathetic or have resigned ourselves to defeat. God speaks loudest when we are silent. Listen to these powerful verses in Lamentations,
9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; their bars he has broken and destroyed. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and her prophets no longer find visions from the LORD. 10 The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have sprinkled dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground. 11 My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within, my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. (Lamentations 2:9-11 NIV)
The people of God could never see the day that they would ever come out from under the heavy hand of their oppressors, but God did deliver them my friend. I have good news for you this morning - God will deliver us from this tragedy that has come upon our land if we will cry out to Him in humility and repentance.
We can feel safe today. You say that you do not feel safe? I say, "Good." If your safety was in this land that we can home then I say, "good." If your safety was grounded in the fact that we are power then I say, "good." If your sense of safety was in the fact that you have money and get what you think you need then I say, "good." If your safety was rooted in our power as a nation then I say, "good." It is good that we lose our sense of safety in the things of man, the things of this nation, so that we might secure our safety in the One who is our strong tower. Paul wrote to Timothy and said,
18The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:18 NIV)
I want to invite you this morning to sink your life into the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. Won’t you turn from your sin and place your trust, your confidence in Him alone.
Mike Hays
Britton Christian Church
922 NW 91st
Oklahoma City, OK. 73114
September 16, 2001
bccpreacherman@aol.com
