SPIRITUAL MUTINY

Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!  Psalm 119:117

    I married into a well known Christian family.  Jack Wyrtzen, my father-in-law, was an evangelist.  In the 40’s and 50’s, he spoke to crowds of a half million people across the world.  He could not go many places without being recognized.  With this notoriety came family pressures.  His wife, like Ruth Graham, stayed home most of the time with their five children.  Both Jack and his wife, Marge, are now in heaven and all five children are, by God’s grace, strong in their faith. 

    Marge had a belief that as long as Jack was away on a ministry trip, that she was physically safe.  She never worried about someone breaking into their home, never worried about an attacker on the streets.  She was adamant that God would keep her safe as long as she and Jack were busy serving the kingdom.  For many years, I subscribed to her theology and it made me feel safe. (Ron and I worked in their ministry for a decade after we were married.)  However, I don’t believe her theology was correct.  God does not automatically protect his children from evil.  In His sovereignty, disaster falls on the heads of Christians and non-Christians alike.  It is by watching us suffer and give glory to God that the Gospel spreads like wildfire.

    So, what is the safety David refers to in today’s scripture?  It is a holy security.  He asks God to hold his heart so that when pressures and trials come, even in the form of continuous, premeditated murder attempts, his heart would not commit spiritual mutiny.  No matter what happened circumstantially, he prayed that his internal world would experience safety and a sense of well-being because God was protecting him from crippling fear and the destructive lies that would annihilate his faith.

    None of us knows what dangers may be allowed to touch us today.  Major Philip Wise, a Salvation Army officer, was shot and killed by three men on Christmas Eve while his three small children watched.  He was serving God.  His wife and children are being tenderly cared for by their spiritual community and by the Lord, Himself.  Their hearts are being held in safety as God protects their faith.  They cling to the promise of the redemption of their story for God’s glory, even through their tears.  

    We grieve these momentary afflictions, all of us, but not without hope.

Hold us, whom evil has touched.  Don’t let us fall into the lies that lead to despair and unbelief.  Amen