"fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! for they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. he will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. for the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land."
it's hard sometimes living in a country where it is so easy to get by with little effort. where quality isn't as important as appearance of quality and hard work is only bribed. its easy to feel cynical. but how useless! how sad is a cynic's heart. frustration, jealousy, anger...how hopeless when abused. there's a time to be upset, and it is good to be angry at injustice and frustrated with the wicked, but they are not to be abused and worshiped by turning into worry or "fret."
francis chan spells out "worry" and "stress" like this:
"worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives. stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control. both worry and stress reek of arrogance. they declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won't be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small indeed."
the truth is, it doesn't matter what country you live in or where you work. some people will always cut corners, and get by with little work. frustrations and anger are inevitable because this world isn't right. but to endure, to trust, delight, and commit to the LORD is to truly rest.
i want to be at rest.
this weekend i visited chungju with sweet friends. i saw the leaves starting to change over the mountains as we rode the ferry on the lake at sunset. if the consistency of creation's beauty creating awe and a common bond with all the son's of God isn't enough confirmation that restoration will surely come, then i'm not sure what is.
"in just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. but the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace...i have been young, and now am old, yet i have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. he is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing. turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. for the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. they are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. the righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever...
mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace."
my pastor said it well this morning. "with waiting comes rest. do your best to eliminate hurry from your life."
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