I like the basic movie plot of the good guys win and the bad guys lose. I despise dramatic twists and turns that do not end up with the good guys on top. I hate when the movie character I like the best somehow dies saving others. I am not alright with that. I want all the good guys to have the happy ending and all the bad guys to face justice.
I think my good guy/bad guy movie ending struggles with a particular verse in Psalm 37:
…people succeed in their ways,
…they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:7b)
What? Wicked schemes succeed? Evil plans prevail? God basically tells us to know that this will happen at times. It is not that the bad guys have a day in their favor, but they actually succeed! The enemy wins! I want to rewrite the script!
Yet, I know that we have all experienced this at times. There have been moments when evil won, the wicked got their way, the demons celebrated. We are left with the questions of why a good God allowed the bad guys to win. It leaves us feeling disappointed, disillusioned, and downcast.
The Lord knew there were times that this would happen in all of our lives. That is why He gave us a five-step process to help us in these times.
Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
(Psalm 37:7-8)
1. Be still
When evil attacks, we want to come up with our own plan of defense. Yet, we are told to be still. Rest. It is time to come before the Lord. Stop rehearsing the enemy’s attacks. Quit complaining and slipping into self-pity. Silence the negativity. Instead, sit before the Lord and focus on who He is. We are not to maneuver in our futile attempts to take care of ourselves. We are to invest our time with the only One who can truly help.
2. Wait patiently
We want things done on our timetable. We want resolutions now. We want the enemy destroyed in this instant. But the Lord tells us to wait. Hold on. His timing is His timing. This can only take place after we have been still before the Lord. It builds our trust in His character. Because we know that God is good, God is for us, and God loves us; we can wait on His timetable to intervene in our difficult situations.
3. Do not fret
Stop worrying for it enlarges the focus on the enemy and minimizes the focus on God. We need to keep our eyes on the Lord. That is why we are to be still and to wait patiently. Worrying will not alleviate our suffering. Instead, it consumes our time and energy rehearsing the “what ifs” of the situation.
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:27)
Worry does not add to life, but takes away. This is part of the enemy’s strategy. He already has attacked us with the situation. If we choose to worry about our circumstances, the enemy knows he can steal even more from us mentally, emotionally, and physically. This keeps us from our source of strength which is staying before the Lord. Worry puts the enemy’s situation before us instead. Stop the worry. We must refocus our minds and emotions on the Lord.
4. Refrain from anger
What happened was wrong. It was unjust. But the anger towards the situation does not change our circumstances. The anger depletes us and does not change the events. God is just. He knows what happened are “wicked schemes”. However, if we continue in our anger, we have the potential of doing evil ourselves and hurting others. The anger builds and often comes out in different ways, and sometimes erupts on others who are not even involved. Then the enemy receives more out of the situation than the original wrong because we stooped down to his wicked level. Refraining from anger protects us from contributing to even more evil.
5. Turn from wrath
When we do not refrain from anger, it will eventually grow into wrath. We want to punish those who have done wrong to us. We feel justified in our pain to harm others. However, wrath is never to be our response. We are not called to inflict our idea of justice.
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)
The only wrath allowed is God’s wrath. He is good, perfect, righteous, and true. Allow Him to judge. We are not called to be an instrument of His judgment. If we do, then we have sinned. Our sin has not made room for God’s wrath so the Lord will not intervene. It is when we obey and do what is right, then the Lord will move on our behalf.
For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. (Psalm 37:9)
When we are still, wait patiently, refuse to worry, refrain from anger, and turn from wrath; we demonstrate our hope in the Lord. God has promised that the evil will be destroyed and those who hope in Him will inherit the land.
Whatever difficult situation we are going through, we must hold onto this promise. God will act on our behalf. Evil will be dealt with. We will inherit the land. In other words, our situations will be worked for good and made right.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
God will work this for our good. Keep hoping in Him. His version of a “movie” ending is always God wins and the enemy is defeated! That is my kind of story!