Rescue Me from these Lions (Psalm 35 Devotional)
How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you. – Psalm 35:17-18
The house of the Lord is a wonderful place of refuge in a world gone crazy. But what happens when the sanctuary becomes like this crazy world?
There’s an old story about a wife waking up her husband for church and he says that he doesn’t want to go. When she asks why, he tells her that all the people seem very unfriendly. She continued to encourage him to go, but he responded that no one there likes him. She tells him that this really isn’t true and that he should still go in any case. He responds that he really doesn’t like them either. Once more she tells him he really should go regardless. And when he asks why, she says, “Because you are the senior pastor!”
This is a funny story, but there is truth in it that isn’t funny at all.
The church is full of broken people; it is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners.
Sometimes deep divisions and factions happen in our churches. Paul often dealt with this in the early church. And since the nature of people doesn’t change, we will often have to deal with these issues in our churches as well.
So, the question is, how do we as worshippers come in Sunday after Sunday to a broken situation where there has been gossip, slights, slander, or factions?
There are several important things to remember. The primary thing to remember is that church is about Christ first and foremost, not about us. So regardless of our feelings, we can take our eyes off the broken situation and turn our eyes toward our Perfect Redeemer. He is still sovereign, faithful, gracious, righteous, and the lover of our souls. We can fully and honestly worship Him despite anything going on around us. He is still worthy of our praise even if our church sometimes isn’t.
Jesus sang hymns on the night he was going to be betrayed, with his betrayer singing next to him. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas sang in jail after being beaten with rods. It’s ultimately the object of our worship that matters, not the circumstance we are in.
And the second important thing to remember is that Christ died for the broken, including the person or people who are causing our angst. Christ died for you, and Christ died for them. He loves them and has a good plan for them, even if He doesn’t like what they are doing. And the likelihood is that you are going to spend eternity with them! That may be hard to swallow. But if they are truly Christians, you will be forever together with them.
Lastly, God may be doing powerful work in your heart in and through this situation. Keep humble, gracious, forgiving, and above reproach. But above all, turn your eyes upon Jesus.
Questions for Thought
What is it about your church that you most dislike?
What would God have your attitude be toward the person or situation?
What can you do personally to make the situation better?
