READ Psalm 11:1-13:6
SITUATION David complained to God about the evil in society. The wicked seemed to prosper, while the righteous suffered.
OBSERVATION God will punish evil at the proper time. Until then, he will protect us.
INSPIRATION There are snowstorms. There are hailstorms. There are rainstorms. And there are doubtstorms.
Every so often a doubt-storm rolls into my life, bringing with it a flurry of questions and gale-force winds of fear. And, soon after it comes, a light shines through it.
Sometimes the storm comes after the evening news. Some nights I wondered why I watch it. Some nights it's just too much. From the steps of the Supreme Court to the steppes of South Africa, the news is usually gloomy . . . thirty minutes of bite-size tragedies. A handsome man in a nice suit with a warm voice gives bad news. They call him the anchorman. Good title. One needs an anchor in today's tempestuous waters.
Sometimes the storm comes when I'm at work. Story after story of homes that won't heal and hearts that won't melt. Always more hunger than food. More needs than money. More questions than answers. On Sundays I stand before a church with a three-point outline in my hand, thirty minutes on the clock, and a prayer on my lips. I do my best to say something that will convince a stranger that an unseen God still hears.
And I sometimes wonder why so many hearts have to hurt.
Do you every get doubtstorms? Some of you don't. I know, I've talked to you. Some of you have a Davidish" optimism that defies any Goliath. I used to think that you were naive at best and phony at worst.
I don't think that anymore.
I think you are gifted. You are gifted with faith. You can see the rainbow before the clouds part. If you have this gift, then skip this chapter. I won't say anything you need to hear.
But others of you wonder . . .
You wonder what others know that you don't. You wonder why some proclaim "Eureka" before the gold is found. You wonder why some shout "Land ho" before the fog has cleared. You wonder how some people believe so confidently while you believe so reluctantly.
As a result, you are a bit uncomfortable on the padded pew of blind belief. Your bible hero is Thomas. Your middle name is Caution. You queries are the bane of every Sunday school teacher.
"If God is so good, who do I sometimes feel so bad?"
"If his message is so clear why do I get so confused?"
"If the Father is in control why do good people have gut-wrenching problems?"
You wonder if it is a blessing or a curse to have a mind that never rests. . . .
Tough questions. Throw-in-the-towel questions. Questions, the disciples must have asked . . .
Where is God when his world is stormy?
Doubtstorms: turbulent days when the enemy is too big, the task too great, the future too bleak and the answers too few . . .
"When God comes," we doubters think," all pain will flee. Life will be tranquil. No questions will remain."
And because we look for the bonfire, we miss the candle. Because we listen for the shout, we miss the whisper.
But it is the burnished candles that God comes, and through whispered promises he speaks, "When you doubt, look around, I am closer than you think." (From In The Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado)
APPLICATION In what ways do you see evil people prospering and righteous people suffering? Your challenge is to wait, to trust that God will one day balance the scales.
EXPLORATION God Judges the Wicked -- Zephaniah 3:1-8; Malachi 3:13-4:3; 2 Peter 2: 1-13; Revelation 20.
The Devotional Bible - Experiencing the Heart of Jesus, Max Lucado General Editor, Thomas Nelson Publishers, New Century Version
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