It is Who is Standing at the End that Matters
Today was a long day. I g
ot up a 4:45 a.m to get ready to travel to Castle Rock for the Republican State Central Committee meeting. This is the biennial event where officers are elected for the party. Chairman Ryan Call invited me to do the invocation and everyone was very gracious and supportive in their reception. Later in the meeting when State Treasurer Walker Stapleton gave greetings to the delegates, the first thing he did was recognize me once again. (Thanks to my friend and State GOP Treasurer Bob Balik for taking a few picture.)
I met up with Debbie later in the afternoon for a meal and then we followed each other home on the highway. Debbie came to Denver to see our grandson’s basketball game and for some errands.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “How good it is to give thanks to you, O Lord, to sing in your honor, O Most High God, to proclaim your constant love every morning and your faithfulness every night…How great are your actions, Lord! How deep are your thoughts!” Psalm 92:1,2,5
When we read the Psalms we catch a glimpse of the greatness and majesty of God. David, “known as a friend of God” seemed to be in constant awe of who God is and committed to learning more about Him. Sometimes that was through times of question, confusion and grief.
When King David was first trying to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, it was being carried on a cart. The oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady the ark and was stuck dead. David was angry! But he recovered and learned some important lessons about the Lord.
In this Psalm we see a contrast between those who served God and those who don’t. David even describes them as being opposed to God. What we see is a vivid contrast between “this life and the world to come.”
The Psalmist makes this observation, “…the wicked may grow like weeds, those who do wrong may prosper…” (Psalm 92:7) But in the midst of this what “fools don’t understand” is “yet they [the wicked] will be totally destroyed, because you, Lord, are supreme forever.“ (Psalm 92:8)
In contrast to the life of the “wicked” – here is the description of the “righteous”.
“The righteous will flourish like palm trees; they will grow like the cedars of Lebanon. They are like trees planted in the house of the Lord, that flourish in the Temple of our God, that still bear fruit in old age and are always green and strong.” (Psalm 92:12-14)
This may not always be what is experienced or observed in this life, but this is what the Lord has destined for those who place their faith in Christ. The issue is, we put too much emphasis on this life and too little emphasis on eternity. The way things look and the way they really are or will be can be drastically different.
When the Psalmist looks at the life of the wicked and righteous in contrast, he comes to this conclusion: “This shows that the Lord is just, that there is no wrong in my protector.” (Psalm 92:15)
When Uzzah was killed before the ark, David could have thought there was some “wrong in my protector.” When the enemies seemed to multiply and the challenges were greater than he could handle, it was easy to conclude that there was some “wrong in my protector.”
But when he saw the Lord deliver and he understood what the future held for both the wicked and the righteous he could see a God who was just and faithful and was worthy to be thanked and worshiped.