I wonder how many of us think about the wicked of this world and consider their fate; or rather consider when their fate will overtake them? If not very careful, I find myself wishing for an end of those committing the acts
of violence.
The righteous surely must have wished for an end to the wickedness that for generations had plagued their Israelite culture, and one day God answered with, “And the Lord rooted (naw-thash’) them out of their land, in anger and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 29:28 (KJV) I could very easily pray for God’s wrath to naw-thash’ or root out the wicked in the midst of their wickedness; that is not my/our decision, it is only by God’s hand and authority that wickedness be ended. Our responsibility is to live above the wickedness that surrounds us and to be a beacon in this present storm of violence and rebellion. We must know this; God is not surprised, God is not afraid, and God is not without a plan. That plan includes the Christians of the present time; we are God’s plan for this violent age.
The question most asked of God during times like these is “why God”, why did/do You allow this to happen to “innocent” folk? The problem with these kinds of questions is that we only see a small piece of the puzzle that God is working with; we don’t see, or are unwilling to see, how God uses adversity to strengthen and grow us into spiritual maturity.
My son Rob and I once planted some saw tooth Oak seedlings, we put plastic sleeves around them to prevent damage. Rob told me that when we removed the sleeves the trees would need to be staked in order to stand upright; it seems that the sleeve not only protected them it did not allow them to be blown about and they were not as strong as they might have been if exposed to the “violence” of the wind.
We know from the Scriptures that God did not remove only the wicked to another place, He removed them all to a land where they would be tested and where the wicked would perish for their deeds. The violence of today serves a two-fold purpose; it identifies the wicked, and it strengthens those who stand(Ephesians 6:13) against it.
