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When
Evil Triumphs -What Shall We Do?
Garland Elkins
The
answer is: "Commit thy way unto the Lord.- trust also in him and he
shall bring it to pass" (Psalms 37:5). In this passage of scripture
there is an all inclusive, satisfactory, and constructive philosophy of
life in times that too easily produce disillusionment, discouragement,
and doubt. Instead of following the impulse to worry, to lose faith, to
be despondent, and to drift from the sure anchorage set out for the Christian
in the New Testament, let us look at the simple directions.
1. "Fret not." Let us as Christians
overcome our worries and anxieties, and let us put the Lord, and His
kingdom first. Jesus said, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"
(Matthew 6:3 3). Paul, wrote, 'And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them who are the called, according
to his purpose" (Romans 8:2 8).
2. "Trust also in him." Solomon wrote,
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine
own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct
thy paths " (Proverbs 3:5-6). We must solve our problems not only
by thinking right (Philippians 4:8), but also by the right action (Matthew
7:21-27). As the psalmist wrote, "Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed" (Psalms
37:3).
3. "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also
in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Psalms 37:5). The final
act is self-dedication. In such a dedication worries and depression
will pass away eventually. As the psalmist wrote, "... weeping may
endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalms 30:5).
Paul was confident that in spite of all of the difficult problems, and
dark influences of evil men he not only could, but he was persuaded
that he would overcome. He wrote, "For which cause I suffer also
these things: yet I am not ashamed. for I know him whom I have believed,
and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed
unto him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12). Like Paul we
need to be able to say, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it
is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me; and that life which
I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the son
of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me" (Galatians 2:20).
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