Daily Devotional for Wednesday, October 30

The Persecution of Israel

“The Lord is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked,” Psalm 129:4.

There is a lot of talk these days about bullying, Why is this? Because, in some cases, it is quite real. Not every conflict in school or the workplace is bullying; sometimes, it is just conflict. On the other hand, human nature and history shows that the tendency for the strong to abuse and exploit the weak is very real. Some people, through no fault of their own, just tend to be targets for the wrath and abuse of others. The history of the Jews is like this. Throughout history, the Jews have been the target of others. Many have tried to come up with legitimate reasons to come after the Jews, but none are valid. The reason the Jews are targeted is because they are God’s chosen people, and Satan motivates people to persecute them.

Sometimes, Christians are targeted for no other reason than we exist. Jesus warned us of this, saying that if the world hated Him, the world would hate us as well. We should not to be surprised. Satan hates the work of God and wants to ruin it every chance he gets. How we react matters. This psalm celebrates God’s repeated deliverance of His people from those who would oppress them. It does not celebrate some stunning victory by the people over their enemies. Do you see the difference?

God has many things for His people to do, but one of them is not to be in a state of constant warfare with the world around us. Should we speak against evil around us? Of course. Should we help those around us see the true nature of who they are as sinners? Of course. But, in the end, it is God who defeats sin and evil. Are you fighting with the world around you, or are you telling that world about Jesus?

JUST A THOUGHT
We can fight our own battles, but we do not have to.

We can just step aside and watch God work.

Wally Fry