Unless you have put yourself deliberately out of touch with the world around you it’s hard not to see that we are in a strange place with the conditions of our world and even close to home. This week I tried to place an order for parts from a manufacturer I have been dealing with for 15 years. I come to find out that they declared bankruptcy and ceased operation on July 3rd. At times I used the parts made by them in nearly everything I built. Even recently it was as much as 80 percent. This comes as a huge blow to what I do for a living but I know times have been tough for many and change is needed for everyone in some level.

One of the most interesting questions of the week put out in church leaders circles this week is should be as Christians be angry with what we see going on around us? This comes as many think that we should not care and just go on happily with our lives knowing that God will take care of it. Is this the right thing to do? Is it the appropriate way to view the evil we see every day?

The answer is because of the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit and our thirst for righteousness, YES we should be angry about what we see around us. We see also that its appropriate to be sad as well. The things we see are not right they are ungodly and they are against his creation on many if now all levels. A few have commented that if we did not react with anger or sadness than likely we are not Christian. Being one does not make you indifferent to the evil of the world. It is to pull you out of it. Any intrusion into your life of its values should be resisted and unwanted.

Is it appropriate to pray about these things going on knowing that God will handle it? Absolutely YES. Always the cries and response by his people warrant his involvement and changing of the situation according to His will.

Exodus 3:7 shows that he heard the cries of his people and saw their suffering. In the couse that followed his people were release from their bondage.

In Ezekiel 9 We see that the people who sighed and cried for the abominations around them were set apart with a mark before the people who commited these acts were killed. Their reaction to what they saw separated them from the impending death that came for those who went along with it.

The feelings you have about these issues that line up with Godly values is a sign of our righteousness through him. It shows that we are reacting from His ways in our hearts and minds, not our own carnality. This is a sign of being His.

God will deal with the evil you see. He is a righteous judge who will not let evil go unpunished. In the meantime it’s important to pray about it and share your heart on what you see and how you feel about it.

Keep in mind though being His also comes with responsibility. Proverbs 20:22 says, “Don’t take things into your own hands. Do not say, ‘I will repay evil. ‘ Instead, wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.” So instead of looking to what you can do to repay evil, look to the God and be patient with his response to these things.

Pray always about what you see and feel about the world around you. God tells us to bring your concerns and give them to him. That in itself should be a great comfort to us in these times.

Happy Sabbath!

Your brother in Christ,

Steve Koenig