How To Deal with Evil in the World

“Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.  Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:  He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.  For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.” (Psalm 37:1-9 NIV)

There is a lot of talk in this political season of all the evil in the world and what the next president needs to do to make the country safe.  Talk of the danger of immigrants, terrorism, and war dominate the news and the discussion.  We are a country on edge about all that is going on around us.  

In these times, David, no stranger to the perils of this world, has some wonderful counsel for us that we may find somewhat counterintuitive. The whole Psalm is a guide for how to respond to the world in which we now find ourselves.  

Not so surprisingly, if we think about it, David tells us to focus our attention on the Lord rather than the evil that is taking place around us. It is so easy to get obsessed with all that is going wrong, but David is reminding us that God is truly in control, even if it doesn’t seem that way in the moment.  The Lord can be trusted.  

He also reminds us of our hope in Eternity where everything wrong will be put right and justice will prevail.  It is difficult to remain calm when evil seems to reign, but David warns we are in danger of falling into evil ourselves when we let our emotions get the best of us.  Anger and revenge are understandable emotions in the face of such evil as 9/11 and the beheading of innocents, but they leave us vulnerable to the clever schemes of the Enemy.  Paul echoed this when he said, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath.” (Romans 12:19) 

What we must recognize is that evil not only reigns outside of us, but is also seeking to reign within us.  Continually turning our focus to God in the face of evil prevents that very evil from also consuming us.  

Today, if you are focused on the evil in the world and fear it, follow David’s counsel and instead turn your attention to the Lord who is in control and in Whom you can trust.  Evil in the world is a terrible thing, but it is even worse when it takes hold of our own hearts.  

© Jim Musser 2015