PSALM 10 EASTER FAITH IN A GOOD FRIDAY WORLD

Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
 
¹ Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
² In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
³ He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
⁴ In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
⁵ His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.
⁶ He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”
⁷ His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.
⁸ He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent, watching in secret for his victims.
⁹ He lies in wait like a lion in cover; he lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
¹⁰ His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength.
¹¹ He says to himself, “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.”
¹² Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.
¹³ Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”?
¹⁴ But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out.
¹⁶ The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.
¹⁷ You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
¹⁸ defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

Even the man of faith wrestles with the conflict between his knowledge and faith in God and the present conditions in this fallen world. In fact, the burden is directly proportional to the faith of the observer-participant. The more convinced one is that God can and will do something, the more difficult it is to deal with the question as to why he does not choose to vindicate his righteousness now. Perhaps this is the hardest aspect of living in faith: It includes believing what is promised is as good as completed even when you do not see any motion in that direction.

We have developed rational explanations to help us deal with the situation. It is said that God’s ways are not our ways. We talk about God having the big picture, the larger perspective, while we only live in a snapshot. God’s mercy and desire for all to come to him in faith has been invoked as a reason for his delay in dealing with evil. But these rationalizations and all others like them are only the crutches by which our lame faith can be propped up until we can have the strength to truly walk by faith.

True faith calls upon God to act to root out sin in this world, but it also is secure in knowing that Gods’ sovereign will being accomplished even now. Our faith is not to be a complacency that ignores the problems of the world because “God will take care of that.” Nor is it a belligerency that arrogates the mantle of savior to itself and does not wait on the Lord. The Christian faith is one that mourns the sin and injustice of the world while at the same time rejoicing in the ultimate victory of God. It is an Easter Sunday faith in a Good Friday world.

Lord, as I face the sin and injustice of this world, use my experience to grow my faith in you. May I ever rest in the knowledge of your love and mercy, and the sovereignty of your will. Amen.