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| “…it is from the Lord that one gets justice.” |
| —Proverbs 29:26b |
Society has changed much in my nearly 74 years. I grew up in the safe bubble of a small town. I was insulated from violence and drugs. Most people were hard-working, driven by their memory of the Great Depression and World War II, and motivated to take advantage of every opportunity to improve their lot in life.
The vast majority of people attended a church, or synagogue, often enough to maintain a respectful appreciation for religion. I never heard the word “Islam” except in the context of a school history lesson.
I was taught to be proud of my country, trustful of authority, and grateful for our representative democracy. The United States of America was presented as a great experiment in a representative democracy, where the formation of a Republic had enabled its people to have a wide-range of freedoms to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
While we learned that the leaders of our nation had made some very serious mistakes, especially the enslavement of people from Africa and the mis-treatment of native Americans, efforts continued to be made to acknowledge and correct those past grievous errors. Our great nation remained the best one of all the countries on the earth.
Yes, in my own personal life, I was bullied in school, beginning in junior high school. But, the positive things in my life tipped the balance in a favorable direction: loving parents, a deepening faith and personal relationship with a God who loved me, along with many extremely positive opportunities to work with role-model adults who made me feel valued.
Considering all that I observe in our present society, I would not want to be a child starting out in our world today. Everything seems to have flipped upside down. Unfairness abounds. Greed drives most business decisions. Those who have committed the worst sins try to atone for their actions by creating lop-sided solutions to social ills. Teachers, driven by philosophies that are fundamentality flawed and wholeheartedly opposed to the foundational principles upon which our society was built, instruct impressionable young people, filling their minds with falsehoods that will damage them forever.
It seems to me that we need a King Solomon today—someone to declare God’s truth with such a forceful voice that everyone will feel compelled to listen. King Solomon, in spite of great wealth and a royal heritage, had tuned into many subtle truths, such as the ones found in Proverbs 29:25-27:
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.
The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright.
In a world turned 180 degrees, we can truly cling to the God who loves us with a deep and abiding love. He will never let go of us and He will never turn His back on us. Let’s face the world today knowing that He will keep us safe in the hollow of His mighty hand.
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, June 26, 2015
