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Lord, We Believe

             Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his  anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

            The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain. (Psalm 2:1-6)

 

            I am not fond of humor. It seems to me that most popular humor is all about making fun of and belittling someone. In other words, I see it as a sort of abuse. That’s why I’ve tended to be reluctant to deal with this psalm. The idea of God laughing in derision. Today, as I considered it, a slightly different picture came to mind. I can’t say that I ever saw the kings as God’s equal. I knew better than that. But somehow, there was that hint of arrogance on God’s part – well-deserved, but arrogance none-the-less. Today, I found myself thinking about a young child trying his hardest to pull free from his father's grip, or of the videos I’ve watched recently as a very young gorilla pesters his father.

            We almost can’t help but laugh at the antics of someone very inferior trying his/her luck at overpowering someone who is more powerful.  It can even seem tender - until the child goes too far. The laughter is gone in the blink of an eye, and the young one is put in his place.

            As I look around, there’s another way that this passage should give us comfort. Our reaction to the situation around us tends to be concern. We pray to God because things seem so bad – and we should. But while our response to perceived danger and evil should be to run to God and take refuge in Him, our response should also be that of the child who has complete confidence that his/her daddy is the biggest, strongest, best-est… you know… “my daddy can beat your daddy blindfolded with both hands tied behind his back!”

            As Christians, we should have that attitude, but we don’t. It’s not polite, but more importantly, even if our Father can beat all their daddies blindfolded and with both hands tied behind His back, I suspect we tend to feel that He won’t. Instead, He’ll allow us to be beaten. Our perspective is so temporal that we struggle with the idea that the victory won after death is probably bigger than a victory won during our lives. Can there even be a victory after death? The good Sunday School answer is a resounding “Yes!” but I suspect we don’t really believe it.

            Lord, we believe. Help us in our unbelief. Teach us to laugh.

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