Problems are for Solving

I had some auto-posts set up for a while and they’ve run out. So there’s nothing here for a few weeks.

Last month we went to visit my Mom’s cousin in Nevada, MO (passing though the famous Louisiana/Mexico corridor) for a few days. After that, I had a trip to Hot Spring, AR, followed by a few days in Branson, MO, including a two day trip to Silver Dollar City. It was a nice trip.

Mom and Dad came with us to SDC, and then came up to Peoria for a few days where Dad helped build some bookshelves in our library. Maybe TC will post pictures later, but I’ve decided that if I start posting pictures I’ll never get posts done again. But they look really nice–you can come by and see them if you’re in the neighborhood.

This week, Danco is installing air conditioning. Upstairs and downstairs. That ought to take the crimp out of hospitality this summer. We’re looking forward to it.

Last week and next week I had/have short trips to the east coast. It keeps me busy.

I haven’t been to the gym in several weeks. Bad me. I really would like to start that up again, but it’s just hard to get back over the initial inertial hump.

That’s about it. Lots of life surrounding this. I had delusions about posting individual posts about the stuff above, but don’t think it would have happened.

More later, Lord willing.

before my eyes
Wondering
Lazy
Thoughtless
Confident
Misguided
Friendless
Waiting
Impatient
Empty
Worthless
Overbearing
Hopeless
Proud
Fearful
Knowledgeable
Sad
Despised
Tearful
Vain
Hateful
Protecting
Falling Down
Lonely
a man
in the mirror

Prayer
Empty passionless words
Spoken into the air without hope

(read the introduction here)

In dealing with rulers who sin against us and against others, sometimes misusing their office and lording their authority over their charges, it is important that we keep a Biblical perspective. Proverbs 21:1 is instructive here:

Our God holds the heart of the authorities in His hand.

When trouble comes from rulers who are sinning in their exercising of their offices we must remember this. God’s arm is not short, and this trouble is ultimately from His hand. Romans 13:1b reminds us that there is “no authority except from God.” God’s providence has brought about the difficult situation you face when a ruler in any sphere of authority sins against you.

At the point where we are sinned against, we have choices to make. In making these difficult choices, though, we must never forget that God’s hand holds the heart of those who are making our life difficult.

Solomon doesn’t stop with God’s hand holding the heart of the king, though, he tells us what Yahweh does with His hand: “He turns it wherever He wishes.”

This should be comforting to us when we see sinful men abusing their authority (whether willfully or not). God holds and turns the hearts of rulers—He always has and always will. So when we have difficulty because of the sin of our rulers, the first place we need to turn is to the King of the kings. To Jesus.

I have had experiences in the past where I was convinced that an authority was going to make a grave error or commit a grave sin. When I have stopped, and prayed for change in the situation, and for God to change the heart of my ruler on that point I have invariably approached the situation with a better attitude, and I have also always seen God’s hand in it. More often than not, I was able to make a peaceful appeal and God either stayed off the action of my superior or I was able to convince him of his error. But even when the ruler continued in his decision, I was able to trust God with the heart and hand of the “king” in the situation—and to rest in God’s infinite knowledge of and control over the situation.

The heart of our rulers is in the hand of Yahweh—and He not only is able, but does turn that heart wherever He wishes, to accomplish His purposes.

When rulers sin, first appeal to the True King of kings who holds their hearts and you will see the hand of God in your trial—regardless of the outcome.

Note: This is a post I wrote on a previous blog a few years ago that I’m bringing out of mothballs, slightly edited.

I have been reading quite a bit lately about the topic of abusive authorities. I’ve read cautions about blindly following (a wise caution), about the harm that authorities can cause when they abuse their power, and many other aspects of the damage that unwise or unrighteous rulers bring in their wake.

One thing that I have found continually missing, though, is how those who are ruled should respond to those who rule in these situations. What little is said about how to respond to the abuse of authority seems too often to be making excuses why the abused underling (no matter the authority) doesn’t need to do anything about the problem, but can get off free in the matter.

As I’ve looked at the relevant passages, I am convinced that the abuse of authority (the Bible calls it lording over people with regard to Church leaders) is truly a horrible thing. And the poor or evil leadership a ruler brings, whether in church, state or family will curse the entire group. There’s no two ways about it.

But having sinful rulers is inevitable. God will allow evil men to rise to power at times (past President Clinton is a great example)—and there is no arguing against that. Even men who are not evil will sin grievously against those under their charge. David, who was a king after God’s own heart, sent his friend Uriah to his death on the front lines so that he could steal his wife.

So what does a man do when placed under authorities who sin? All of us are under authority, or we should be, in at least three areas: the family (father), the church (elders) and the state (the magistrate). In this day and age most of you will also have rulers at work (bosses). The Bible uses the slave/master relationship to describe this. Biblically speaking, I will try to treat this as a subset of the family, even though our workplaces are not organized that way anymore.

I don’t want my posts on this topic to be long, and so I’m going to post shorter posts as I am able. You are going to have sinful rulers, likely in more than one of the spheres of authority, and there are practical steps to overcoming the sin of those who rule over you and God has not only not been silent on the topic, but He has left us with quite a few principles on the matter. I’m not going to deal with the principles in any particular order, but as I do I’ll organize them into a logical outline that you’ll be able to find under this category, or an index I’ll create later.

Memory
Fades too easily
Regarding the good

Grantian Florilegium: Petty Tyrannies
“The most terrifying words in the English language are, I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Ronald Reagan

George Grant has a bunch of quotes on overactive Government on his blog, and they made me laugh so I’m sharing them with you. You’ll have to click through to his to read them all–but a famous one by Reagan is above.

I
Can hide in a corner
Invisible to all but One
All the while
The center of attention

I have been having trouble of late with the government. I had a rental property get reassessed at triple the value I paid for it only two years ago. I have been battling with a non-communicative zoning department over a small problem that could have been solved quickly with just a little more communication. The result? I ended up with a $200 ticket.

When I fly I get frustrated with the rights that are ignored and fractured in the name of alleged safety. As I think about one day opening a restaurant I fear and worry over the huge numbers of regulations that face me in the process- fearing that small infraction (or an overzealous inspector or other authority) that could be seized as an opportunity to overturn all the work that had gone into that business endeavor.

And this frustrates me beyond belief. In other contexts, talking to others in formal and informal counseling situations I’ve said that frustration is often (always?) a sign of our own sin rather than a right response to the sins of others. Yes, there is a righteous anger at tyranny, but even within a tyrannical system we are to respond in love.

Last week I posted a link to a site where you can adopt a terrorist for prayer, quoting Jesus’ words about how we are to respond to those who persecute us. Those who hate us. Our enemies.

Saturday I realized more clearly how deep my frustration and bitterness runs towards tyranny and fascism. And Sunday morning during prayer time in worship I realized how hard my heart is towards those who practice it. And I repented of it and prayed (and must continue to pray) that God would soften my heart towards fascist, tyrannical, persecuting people. I prayed that God would help me to love my enemies.

That’s what Jesus wants me to do. Certainly I should not grow tired of speaking out against tyranny and fascism. Certainly I should do whatever is in my power to stem the tide of such evils. Certainly I should beseech God to come in power to end the merciless injustice that follows in the wake of tyranny.

But.

But my response to those who practice the evil must be love. It must be to pray for them. It must be to bless the curser and to overcome the evil with good. And maybe then instead of frustrated outbursts of hating fascists I may see, by God’s grace, a hatred for evil that is punctuated by a love and prayer and what is lovely in the sight of all men.

This may change nothing but me. But it may produce more joy in what little suffering I’ve been asked to endure. And so today I ask that God will soften my heart towards those who do evil. And may He do that today and every day.

If all
Is vanity then why
Do we get out of bed?