THE BEST WAY TO ELIMINATE STRESS

There is a bumper sticker that reads something like this:  “Stress:  It’s what’s experienced when resisting the urge to choke the living _ _ _ _ out of someone that otherwise so richly deserves it.”

God’s Word tells us that vengeance is His (Romans 12:19)—He repays, so you don’t have to worry about that—“no” to worry means “yes” to peace.

After discussing this concept in Psalm 35, David goes on to offer rationalization, so that God will be won over to his way of thinking—and who of us don’t do that ourselves?

By lining up our petitions with God’s will from the start, we eliminate the stress (and hence lack of peace) that goes along with not doing so.

Toward the end of this chapter, the psalmist further petitions the Lord for future deliverances desired.

It’s like my job.  I ask people if they want to supply an email address for “future updates and other offers”.”  Their email address (should they give it) is used solely within the company itself.  I have no agenda in asking that question except that I may keep my job.

Yet, when most people hear the question, they go into an oral dissertation about why they don’t give it out.  A simple yes or no would suffice—I never asked for their life story to begin with.

If these same people took a moment to reflect on the quality service they’ve received to this point, they wouldn’t feel the need to justify their answer.

Why stress yourself with extra verbiage and the anxiety as to whether or not it will be well received?  Let your yes be yes and no, no—for the greatest amount of peace available.

That’s how we are concerning God’s promises, and the best way to correct that behavior is this:  The next time you feel motivated to be that way with God, remember His past faithfulness to fully accomplish His will in you—even if it isn’t the way you’ve demanded that it be done. 

This is true peace.

b(Les)sings

THE BODYGUARD

The righteous say there is a God and the wicked say that there is not.  Have you ever wondered why that is?  I think it’s because both groups define their respective positions by “approval.”

The sinner wants the judgment of God to be non-existent because then he/she does not have to be held accountable for his/her actions.  These are the people that look for fault in believers so that they can say, “See, it’s all phony”, further attempting to make the case for their own inexcusable behavior. Unfortunately, to their peril, they misunderstand the concept of Christian forgiveness. 

This side of heaven, all are imperfect, while (on this side of heaven) the righteous are righteous--positionally.    The upright believe in the reality of their God, knowing therefore that they’ve made a good choice in pleasing Another rather than self.  They experience consternation in feeling sad for those they were once like, and grieve that, to this point, the wicked have not yet changed. 

The grief experienced by non-believers is much more subliminal.  It is an unconscious warring between what they know to be right—what their spirit longs for—and the hedonism they know to be wrong.

Such people are sometimes referred to as oppressors.

Oppressors do not think they are doing bad when they are doing their bad things.  They just see themselves as more or less successful in their efforts as those of their peers.  It is maddening to the upright, but the aggravation is replaced with joy when they see the Lord’s vengeance exacted.  It’s not that the righteous have peace about vengeance, but that the One they love has been shown to others as the victor over evil.

In the 14^th Psalm (verse 6), David points out that the Lord is a safe place to run for those that are under attack from the enemy.  It brings the movie, “My Bodyguard” to remembrance.

In this film, the main character is being picked on by a school bully.  The picked-on hires a bodyguard to intimidate his intimidator, which works fine until that intimidator hires his own bodyguard to beat up on the one that gave him grief.  In the end, the good guy’s bodyguard wins, along the lines of Psalm 78:65—66 from the NKJV:

      Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
         Like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
     And He beat back His enemies;
         He put them to a perpetual reproach

In other words, God spanked them.

For whom the LORD loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights. (Prov. 3:12—NKJV)—and remember that loving correction ultimately brings peace.

b(Les)sings

IN GOD WE TRUST

Trust.  It’s the best place to start in a relationship.  It is true for people, and it’s even more true for God—not that He needs to trust us, but us Him.  Psalm 118:8 says it most succinctly:  “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man”—KJV.  Verse 9 continues that it’s even better to trust the Lord over those He establishes in authority over us (Rom. 13:1).Proverbs 3:5-6 remind us that we’re to trust Him with all our heart, and not lean upon our own understanding—that we should acknowledge God in all we do, and He will direct our paths. 

Have you ever been through one of those huge mazes?  They have someone watching over things from above, to help direct those that may have lost their way.  That’s God.  As we travel the maze that is our life, we can trust One whose vantage point is higher than ours because He sees the things we don’t, and can direct our steps accordingly.  David begins Psalm 7 discussing his trust in the Lord—therein is true peace.

One of the two businesses we owned in New Hampshire years ago was an arcade, located inside a major mall.  Unfortunately it was about 90 miles south of our other business, and management in absentia allowed for those with evil intent to flourish.  One incident in particular involved a youth that I’d caught stealing money from us.  I told him he was fired, and he pled for his job back—he was really, “sorry”. I thought long and hard about it and finally acquiesced.  “Ok”, I said, “just give me back the $40 you stole.”  “What?” he asked, shocked, “I thought you said I could get my job back.”  “I did,” I responded, “But that doesn’t negate your responsibility.”  He decided being fired was better than working.  This was a youth who, unlike the psalmist, was unwilling to take responsibility for his actions.  Even though he maintained a sense of innocence, David was still willing to be subjected to correction if his deeds were found to be evil.  That’s peace on two levels—that he was not wrong, and that even if he was, he was confident that God’s correction would be loving and beneficial.

The psalmist seeks the Lord’s intervention against their mutual enemies, assured that He’s fully capable of delivering it.  He is trusting God to make the best decision on his (David’s) behalf, and we can trust Him for such decisions in our lives as well.

Road rage is just one modern day example of an aggressor positioning himself on life’s throne, so that he may execute vengeance on another, yet there is peace in allowing God to do the work in your stead (Romans 12:19—“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”—KJV).

Do you want real peace?  It’s available to all those that choose for God to sit upon the throne of their lives, rather than themselves.

b(Les)sings

Psalm 7

1 O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

2Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

3O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;

4If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)

5Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

6Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.

7So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.

8The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.

9Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

10My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

11God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

12If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

13He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

14Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.

15He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

16His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

17I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

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