“But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.”
~ Psalm 94:22
Hi James and Ellen,
When you get as old as your dad and ma, would you rather be powerful or powerless? A powerful guy or gal presumably has position and prestige. A powerless guy or gal presumably does not have position and prestige. A powerful guy or gal presumably has ascribed status and assumed leadership over his or her constituents. A powerless guy or gal presumably does not have recognized status and unspoken leadership over his or her compatriots. A powerful guy or gal presumably will lord his or her position and prestige over guys, gals and kids who he or she knows. A powerless guy or gal presumably will be lorded over by a guy or gal who has inserted himself or herself through what he or she asserts to be accomplishments into what he or she perceives to be a prestigious position. There are the powerful and powerless in every micro community. Do you have a bully in your school? Do you have a kid in your school who is always getting picked on by another kid – or kids? Is there a gang in the area where you are living? Is the leader of a gang the gang’s most helpful, compassionate guy or the most uncaring, dangerous guy? Are there unscrupulous, devious guys and/or gals – who are not Christ-followers, living in the same area where you are living who are doing everything that they can to take or destroy everything that your dad and ma have?
A Psalmist struggled with the ways that powerful guys and gals abused and maligned powerless guys and gals. This psalm writer scribed a psalm song – which is now Psalm 94, about his struggles with wicked, moneygrubbing guys and gals oppressing and crushing weak penniless guys and gals. Your grandmaa and grandpaa – during the seven and a half years that they lived in Guatemala, regularly rode past dilapidated shantytowns, encountered filthy street kids and put up with putrid refuse and all kinds of litter. Kids who are living in an underdeveloped country – which is what Guatemala is, do not have access to education that kids like you have who are living in developed countries – which is what the United States is. Guys, gals and kids may be living in a ramshackle something in a shantytown that may not have as much room in it as what your bedroom has. What guys, gals and kids are living in in derelict shantytowns may have been built out of whatever the guys, gals and kids are able to find – such as from pieces of trim lumber, sheets of tin, cardboard, etc. Sometimes because their dad and/or ma cannot earn enough money to feed their kids, kids will leave or be ‘kicked out’ of their homes by their dad and/or ma. These kids will do whatever it will take to survive – which sometimes means literally living and sleeping on streets in a city or town. Foul smelling garbage and an array of diseases seem to be everywhere in underdeveloped countries. Every macro society that makes up a country or survives within a country’s society, has power players and powerless pawns in it. The country’s leaders will invariably accumulate by one means or another the country’s available wealth while the country’s has-beens will invariably lose through one way or another to the country’s leaders any accumulated wealth that they might have. Even though the author of this psalm song recognizes God as being in control, the author of this psalm song wanted God to know that he really does not understand His lack of action when it is so obvious to this psalm song’s author that real inequities abound between the evildoers and fatherless, the wicked and the widows and proud and foreigners. This psalm song author through his psalm song appeals to God to address and avenge the obvious wrongdoings and apparent injustices that were being perpetrated against orphans, sick and poor by arrogant guys who occupied power seats. If this psalm song is just not resonating with you, it probably is though saying it all to millions of other kids – kids who are living in underdeveloped counties – such as North Korea and Iran, countries that are now being ruled by depraved despots and maniacal tyrants.
Your grandpaa is feeling more and more bugged with the actions of guys and gals who are governing the United States who are enjoying all the freedoms and amenities that United States offers that they are not willing to do whatever it takes to make available these same rights and conveniences for guys, gals and kids in other countries to enjoy. Your grandpaa is very grateful that he – as a Christ-follower, in these intriguing, scary days, can claim verse 22 which says, “But the LORD has become by fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.” Your grandpaa believes that God right now is allowing repugnant, vile guys and gals to have their day. Your grandpaa also believes that there is coming a day real soon when these brutal, evil guys and gals will suffer the consequences of their senseless, irrational actions. God has already in place a horrific punishment for guys and gals who defy Him by elevating themselves to be viewed as being more important than every other guy and gal. Your grandpaa believes that God is now allowing corrupted work centered beliefs – such as Islamism, to go worldwide so that the one true belief – which is Christ-centered, will be more clearly seen as being the one and only viable belief option. Your grandmaa and grandpaa have been blessed over the years to see real joy being experienced by guys, gals and kids when they made a decision of faith. Would you rather be among your peers a powerless Christ-follower or a powerful leader?
Psalm 94 (756)