An Antidote to Stewing and Brewing
"God knows what lies in darkness and light dwells with him." Daniel 2:22 (NIV)
My heart has been heavy this week as the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh have spiraled out of control into chaos. Quite honestly, I haven't been able to watch most of the Senate hearings, primarily because I hate conflict. I have chosen instead to pray and cook. That may sound like a strange combination, but I do some of my best praying while I am cooking. Together the two activities keep my hands and heart busy so that I am much less likely to "stew and brew" over situations that affect me, but over which I have little control. God, however, in His sovereignty, DOES have control over all situations. And so I pray.
I pray that God, who knows all that lies in the darkness, will bring the truth to light...whatever that is. I have no idea if the events alleged to have happened over 30 years ago actually happened, but I also don't know that they didn't. But God knows all and God sees all. God is the One who knows what is hidden in our darkness. All of our darkness is light to Him.
My Thursday morning's Bible reading led me to Proverbs 6:16-19 which reads:
"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him;
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush to evil
a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers."
By Thursday night, I realized that all "7 things God hates" were fully on display throughout the confirmation proceedings. And not just on one side of the political aisle. Pride, lies, the destruction of innocent lives, wicked schemes, feet rushing to do evil (or fingers rushing to tweet), false witnesses, and those stirring up dissension were, not just on display in the Senate chamber, but on live television for the world to watch. Allegations of past sexual assault seemed almost minor to the all out assault on our nation's rule of law and a man's presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The darkness and depravity of sexual assault was matched only by the darkness of pride, power, and political corruption.
And God sees it all. Not just in the nation's Capital, but in our hearts and lives as well. None of us can hide from God's light, truth, and judgment. He is our Ultimate Judge. And we are all guilty in His courtroom.
The good news of the Gospel is that God hasn't left us to ourselves and our sin. Yes, the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Faith and repentance - turning from our sin and to our God in the name of Christ- are the keys to receiving God's life and light. For those who do, there is now no condemnation in Christ.(Romans 8:1)
Prayer is not only our best defense against sin, but also our best weapon in our fight for truth. The Apostle Paul understood this when he penned these words to Timothy, his beloved son in the Lord: "I urge, then first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, thanksgiving be made for everyone- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." Those words would always be good advice, but consider that Paul wrote them while he was chained in prison and awaiting execution. Seen in this context, Paul's words are God's words for us today. Pray for all those in authority- those with whom we agree and those with whom we don't- that we may all live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness, for God's glory.
Wherever we are today, we can all pray the prayer that never fails: "Thy will be done." (Matthew 6:6)