No matter what part we play in initiating our own crises, more often than not there is a degree of injustice in it all. If you think back to David's struggle with Saul, you might argue that David got ahead of himself and thus provoked the king to jealousy, but the ongoing persecution of David was still unwarranted and unjust. Yet David submitted to God and did little to defend his own cause until Saul fell on his own sword. The resulting closure enabled David to move on and live again.
Similarly Moses, who had done astonishing things, was challenged by Korah and his sons. Instead of defending himself, Moses turned to God, surrendered his rights and submitted the issue to divine counsel. When the disputing parties met again, God made His own position very clear by causing the earth to open up and swallow Korah and his family. God, not Moses, saw that justice was done.
Recently we watched the wonderful Spielberg movie, The Lovely Bones, which portrays the abduction and murder of a teenage girl. She is then caught between heaven and earth, unable to move on. Likewise her father, thanks to his deep love for her, is unable to let go and live again for lack of closure. The two characters, though separated by a large chasm of reality, stay bound to each other as the wheels of justice grind along with little or no progress in the prosecution of her murder. Her body is never found, so the serial killer then starts plotting his next attack, assured that the trail on his previous deed is fading.
In the process, the father is alienated from his wife, whilst the girl discovers a whole group of girls, all victims of the same perpetrator, who are as unable to move on for lack of justice. The father subsequently gets into deeper trouble and suffers a near fatal incident, whilst his surviving daughter almost becomes the killer's next victim. It occurs to the dead girl that unless she lets go and releases her family, they will continue to be victims. Thus she chooses to move on, as does her father, which brings the story to a climax. Without sharing what happens, suffice to say, God causes the guilty to fall on his own sword. In the final scene the girl influences an outcome that brings release to all the girls with her and to her family below.
Yesterday a family in the Negev shared a scripture with me, from Psalm 69:32, which says, "The humble see, and thus rejoice they who seek God ... that hearts may live (again)." By way of commentary they made the point that the humble can only look up. The proud tend to look down, but the humble always look up.
So, if you find yourself caught up in circumstances that seem unjust, trust God to vindicate you. David actually prayed those very words in Psalm 17, as he looked to God for justice. Don't take matters into your own hands as you will almost certainly compound your crisis. Submit to God and let Him resolve the pain and solve your riddles, for in due course He will bring closure to your crisis. Look up to Him. Don't look down at the problems or whoever you believe to be the cause of your problems, as that will keep you locked in a vicious cycle of crisis that will just carry on spiraling downhill and so reduce you to a perpetual victim.
Don't look at your circumstances, else the waves will overwhelm you. Rather look up and walk on the waters. Again I say, look up, for your redemption is at hand.
(c) Peter Eleazar @ www.4u2live.net
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