The Psalmist asked, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3) When the moral fundamentals of the family, government, school and even the church are rapidly eroding away what can Godly people do? How far can we go in fighting evil without being guilty of adopting the world’s weapons? Should we barricade abortion clinics? Picket the capitol? Sign petitions? Boycott advertisers? Withdraw all our children from public schools? Band together to oppose certain politicians?
When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?
We can live righteously. Someone said a hypocrite is a person who complains about sex and violence on his VCR! The Apostle Paul asked, “You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?” (Rom 2:21-23) God would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah for just ten righteous people. The best way to reinforce the foundations of America is for Christian people to live righteous lives.
We can build Godly homes. We decry the breakdown of the family but do we pray with our mate, read the Bible with our family, discipline and love our children?
We can support the ministry of the local church. Rather than criticize the church for not doing something dramatic, we can reinforce the foundations of the church by giving sacrificially, attending regularly, praying daily and participating wholeheartedly in the church’s ministry. I’m convinced Satan is more threatened by one strong church faithfully proclaiming the gospel than by a thousand people demonstrating against one segment of his program.
We can participate in the political system. In the community where I live, fewer than 30% of those eligible to vote in a recent primary did so. More than 70% of the people didn’t even show up — many of them Christians! If we don’t become informed and participate in the system, then we have no right to complain about the foundations being destroyed.
We can speak up boldly about what we believe. When believers are silent about their convictions the world gets the impression that everyone endorses evil and it must be okay. With the social media at our fingertips we have a great opportunity to voice our allegiance to Christ. The Bible says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” This is no time for silence!
We can win people to Jesus Christ. After all there is only one sure foundation – that is Christ Jesus. “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17)
We can trust that God is still in charge. Some of our frustration with crumbling foundations is a lack of faith. Is God still in charge or are we? Psalm 11:4 answers the question. “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.”
No matter how hopeless the situation may seem, God is still on His throne, poised to fulfill His promise to make things right one day. Put your trust in Him, not the crumbling systems of this world.
I enjoy watching University of Louisville basketball and football games. If I can’t see the game live, because of a church activity, I often record the television broadcast and watch later…fast-forwarding through the commercials. I prefer not knowing the outcome in advance and the game is almost as much fun as watching it in real time.
Sometimes a well-meaning fan will come up after a church service and say, ‘Wow! Wasn’t that a great game? I thought we were beat until that last second score. Wasn’t that thrilling?”
There’s a big difference between watching a game live and watching it on tape when you know the outcome. In a way it’s good. If I know in advance that my team wins, I don’t get upset with a player’s mistake or a referee’s bad call. I don’t get nervous if my team falls behind. Knowing you win in the end eliminates anxiety and makes you a much more objective fan.
The Bible assures us repeatedly that God is still in charge and He’s going to be victorious even though it may not look like it now. He specializes in pulling victories out of apparent defeat. Moses’ followers saw no way out when trapped at the Red Sea. Gideon’s 300 looked pitifully inept against the Midianite hordes. Elisha was surrounded by King Aram’s horses and chariots. Lazarus looked really dead in the tomb. The crucified Christ looked finished when nailed to the cross. Paul and Silas looked helpless in the Philippian jail.
One day in the future, “every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus Christ as Lord.” In the meantime, I need the constant reminder to quit fretting, and continue to trust the Lord and confidently build on His Word. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11)
