Where is Jesus when evil people do evil things?

Columbine. Sandy Hook. Attacks in Paris. San Bernardino. (Just to name a few)

With all that is going on in the world, it is so easy to be discouraged. Life can be so hard, filled with ups and downs, and so mentally and emotionally draining that it's hard to think straight. I pray you take the time to let the words of David speak to your heart, comforting you at your core. This passage gives me so much peace and hope amidst all the brokenness and evil I witness daily.

Though I may fail, the Lord never will. Though evil seems to reign, God is still in control.

This earth and everyone on it will perish, but there is more to come for those who believe.

Psalm 37[a]

Of David.

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
    and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword
    and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have
    than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
    and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:
    Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
    they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
    but the righteous give generously;
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
    but those he curses will be destroyed.

23 The Lord makes firm the steps
    of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
    for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
    or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely;
    their children will be a blessing.[b]

27 Turn from evil and do good;
    then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves the just
    and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed[c];
    the offspring of the wicked will perish.
29 The righteous will inherit the land
    and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
    and their tongues speak what is just.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
    their feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
    intent on putting them to death;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
    or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Hope in the Lord
    and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
    when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
    flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
    though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
    a future awaits those who seek peace.[d]
38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
    there will be no future[e] for the wicked.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him.

Broke? You don't want to miss this.

In a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult to be financially free, people are willing to look anywhere for some advice that can serve as a "lifeboat" to help save them from the sinking ship that is their finances. The problem is, often times the services advertised as "help" are actually sharks waiting to devour anyone who is jumping ship.

Loan sharks start out very friendly, disguising their lucrative plans to basically own you by pitching their offer as an opportunity to silence debt collectors once and for all. "Borrow from us, and never worry about that credit card company (charging 25% interest) coming after you again!" or "Don't lose your house, we'll help you pay rent this month!" Did you know that some loan sharks charge up to 719,000% interest? Yeah, you read that correctly.

I've spent the past few months working diligently on clearing up my outstanding debts and becoming financially free. I believe Jesus meant it when he said "You can't serve both God and money." When you are in the position of a "borrower", the lending agent has more control than they would lead you to believe. You can get upset, argue, and even choose to not pay... But don't be fooled, they will get theirs eventually (plus all the interest and fees they imposed because of the time it took to collect from you).

If you are in the middle of a financial mess, rather than racking up a balance on a MASTERcard, or borrowing from a company you never heard of that seems so generous in their weekly flyer, take a minute and read this story of a woman you may be able to relate with...

"A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” 

So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”

So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”

And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” 

(2 Kings 4:1-7)

What do you do when you are at risk of losing it all? When you feel like you have NOTHING left to work with? Are you listening to the plans others are making for your future, or do you trust the future God has planned for you?

God is quoted saying, "For I KNOW the plans I have for you. Plans to PROSPER you and not to harm you. Plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE."

He also says, 

"Seek, and you will find. 

Ask, and it will be given to you. 

Knock, and the door will be opened."

Does this mean that God will give us everything we want if we ask? No, not at all.

It's a promise that if we seek Him and ask Him for His Will he will deliver.

"But the word says that God wants to give me the desires of my heart?! How come he hasn't? How can I trust someone who has let me down?"

God wants to place HIS DESIRES in our hearts, so we crave the things that God wants for us. When we focus on the stuff we don't have (enough money, latest tech, travel experience), we forget the gifts from God that matter (peace, joy, family, health, salvation through Jesus, life itself).

In a bind? Turn to Christ. Put down the credit card application. Stop stressing for a moment and have a one-on-one with God. I'm certain that you'll find Jesus working in your crisis.