Sermon Title: What to Do When You Get A Raw Deal
Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth. Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance. They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?” This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Tara Creamer awoke one September morning to prepare to take a flight from her home in Massachuetts to Los Angeles. As a buyer for TJMax stores, she sometimes had to travel but did not like to because she was a mother to a 4 year old son and a 15 month old daughter. As she said good-bye to her husband who she met in college some 9 years earlier, it was the last time she was seen alive by her family. You see, the plane that she boarded that sunny September morning was one of the planes that struck the World Trade Center buildings on September 11th, 2001. We read the details about her life and the lives of those who were lost that day and we say, boy, they got a raw deal. They did not deserve to die, nor did their families deserve to suffer the devestating loss of their presence in their lives. And perhaps some of us look at our own lives and make the same observation - things have happened that we did not deserve and those events have greatly influenced our lives negatively. What are we to do when we find ourselves in those circumstances?
David found himself in similar circumstances. In the passage above, he speaks of his "raw deal" - he says he "saw the prosperity of the wicked" and that "they are not plagued by human ills." And although he believes in God and tries to follow Him, he writes that "all day long" he was "afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments." And yet he realizes that he has nothing of lasting eternal value apart from God. He declares, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you." He decides to not give his attention to the injustice in his life, but rather give his heart to God. And by making God his passion and desire, he is able to overcome his bitterness and anger that he had because of his "raw deal."
If we are going to overcome our "raw deals" in life, we must pursue God passionately. And we need to remember that God will one day bring justice to the world, He is working through the "raw deals" in our lives and He is seeking to make us disciples, not potted-plants! We will talk about each of these points on Sunday as we began a new sermon series, "God is Closer Than You Think." Hope to see you then!
