Out with the Bad
We made an early morning trip to Englewood to my mom’s house to meet some people to help us deal with my mom’s belongings. There is still much to just throw away and the challenge of selling enough for a price to at least recoup our “clean out” expenses.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “Go away, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.” Psalm 6:8 NLT
The process of healthy respiration is often described as, “in with the good, out with the bad.” It describes the process of taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. I thought of that when Christian was describing my respiratory failure during my health crisis four years ago.
He wrote how the West Nile Virus had impacted my muscles and neurological function to the point that my lungs were not able to expel the “bad.” As a result, I was being poisoned by my own body and its inability to sufficiently exhale carbon dioxide.
I thought of that as I read this verse. David with an emphatic declaration after a time of intense sorrow, turmoil and weeping says basically, “evil, go away from me!” Whether evil is personified in individuals or impacts our lives by what is around us or what influences us, it takes a deliberate action to deal with it.
Consider the last part of the verse. David refers to the Lord hearing his weeping. The previous verse is intense, “I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.” (Psalm 6,7 NLT)
This is sorrow, grief and weeping that is physically draining. Have you every been there? Evil impacts our lives. When we let it in, when it comes against us, it can wear us down. This biggest problem is when we become our own “worst enemy.” When those we allow into our lives, or the influences that come into our lives dampen our spiritual sensitivity and vitality. We are convicted, but it takes more than a recognition of the impact on our lives.
It can be easy to tolerate or to accommodate “evil” without meaning to or even recognizing it. It comes subtly, it may be becasue something is occasionally a part of our life or a periodic compromise.
Evil, in whatever form it takes, must be confronted. The verse begins with the emphatic words, “Go, away!” We have to get to the point where we say, “enough is enough.” For some, like those escaping addiction, it means new “friends.” My wife likes to use the saying there is a need for a, “new playpen and new playmates.”
When the “evil” is not just around us, but “in us” the challenge can be ever greater. We have to recognize that a change is needed that we just can’t will ourselves into a better position. We need some “outside” help. That may be a friend, but it will require the Lord’s intervention.
David says, “Go away…because the Lord has heard my weeping.” It is one thing to cry tears of sorrow or grief and another to turn our hearts to the Lord for His strength and help to “take a stand.”
When we expel the evil, it provides a greater capacity for the “good.” Let’s allow the Lord to fill our hearts and minds full of His goodness.
Prayer for today…. Lord, thank You that You are more willing to help, than often we are to trust You to help. Grant us the strength to deal swiftly with that which is in our lives that hinders our relationship with You. We may not always recognize it as “evil” but we need to call for for what it is, for how it is impacting our lives.