“Lord, How Long?”

We live in a time when our society celebrates ungodly lifestyles. It flaunts them. We read about it. We see it on television. And we say, “Lord, how long are they going to get away with it?” Meanwhile, society mocks those who try to live by God’s Word.

So we think, “This just isn’t fair. That person over there shouldn’t be able to get away with that. It is a horrible thing they are doing.”

Asaph, one of the writers of the psalms, grappled with this age-old problem. He wrote, “I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction” (Psalm 73:16–18 NLT).

David, too, reflected on the life of the godly and the life of the ungodly and contrasted them. He wrote about the ways of ungodly people and their priorities. And then he went on to say, “Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe” (Psalm 5:7 NLT).

He was saying, “These nonbelievers can do what they want to do and live the way they want to live. But I’m going to go to the house of the Lord.” David got his priorities in order.

In the same way, when we go to church, when we get into God’s Word together, we see the big picture. We recognize right from wrong. And we can make the right choices.

We can compare going to church and fellowshipping with other believers to burning logs or coals. If we keep them close together, they stay hot and glow. But if we separate one from the others, that one will grow cold. The same is true of us as followers of Christ.

Yet there are Christians who say, “Let’s not go to church today. Let’s go do something else. We went to church two weeks ago.”

They are missing out. Church isn’t something we do when we find the time. It’s where we go to gain our focus. It’s where we go for a spiritual tune-up. And it’s also where we go to give as well as receive. We bring our gifts and build up one another.

That is why the Bible cautions, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25 NLT).

Something wonderful, something supernatural, something mysterious happens when God’s people gather. When we worship the Lord, He inhabits the praises of His people. When we study His Word, He speaks to us. And when we unite our prayers, there is power in them.

David was saying, “This world is crazy, but I will turn to You, Lord. That is where I will put my trust.”

Let’s follow the example of David. Let’s take our problems and burdens and cast them upon the Lord, and He ultimately will have His way.

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