SO WHY DO THE NATIONS RAGE AGAINST GOD?
Psalms 2:1-2 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and his Anointed One.
Before I became a lover of Jesus I never thought much about this. It never really crossed my mind that the world was against God, or that the world and even I was being used by Satan and the powers of darkness to hurt God. I,right along with the world was so deep in the flesh and everyday life that God even seldomly crossed our minds. The reason I can add the world into my sin is the evidence of the actions of the world. For the most part the world doesn’t live to bless and love the Lord. We live to bless ourselves, and Satan and the powers of darkness promote it! We can’t blame them because we have a free will and could do what is right, but we are so spiritually blind by our carnal nature that our sinful of rebellion against God seems right to us.
It hurts me to think that for twenty-five years of my life I never really included Jesus in my daily life lived. I would pray my “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep” prayer before I went to sleep, but as far a personal relationship with Jesus or even having him be the purpose and focus of my life he was far from it. So why didn’t I, and why doesn't the world live to love and bless the Lord? Because like with Adam and Eve we are a fallen race of people that want to be our own god. Even when we do hear the good news of God’s love and salvation for us through Jesus, we tent to fight it thinking we can do it our way. Time and again we find ourselves telling God what we will and will not do.
When we don’t get our own way we rage at whatever is close at hand. We want to be in control, and at times think we are in control, but the fact of the matter is none of are. If we are in control then there would be no death, sorrow or even troubles. So we with the encouragement of Satan and the powers of darkness we pursue our futile efforts to make our own happiness. Our life is centered around I, me and mine. If you don’t believe me ask any little baby or little child or any middle aged man! Sad to say it is only until we are ninety- eight years old on our deathbed that we look back on life and think, “Now what am I going to do? I’ve missed the purpose in life, and have come up empty and now I have to give account of myself to God. At this point in life there is no rage or fight left in anyone, but only empty despair. Like Jacob who wrestled with God and won, we, Satan, the powers of darkness and the rebellious world lost. All our efforts to be god only exposed how unGodlike we really were all along. We raged and plotted in vain to overthrow God’s plan of love and personal relationship with him, for a throne of self.
When will all the rage against God stop? It will not stop as long as there is eternity in hell and the freedom to rebel. So why doesn’t God stop free will, and stop the hurt that creation brings him? The answer is really pretty simple when we step back and look at the whole picture. It is at the root of John 3:16. It is God so loved the world. God loved us before we knew him. For God the hurt he receives doesn’t begin to outweigh the precious love he receives from those who come through his Son Jesus Christ. It is hard for us to understand such love unless we look to the abused child or wife that time and again keeps hoping for love instead of constant hitting and abuse.
I Peter 4:17 tells us that love covers a multitude of sins. You know we can love if we want to. I know people that hate President Obama and have never met him. They could love him if they wanted. I am not saying that they have to agree with everything he or anyone else does. But we can love him. If you don’t believe me try praying for him and his family with a spirit led prayer as you would for your own family. If you do you will find your heart will change about him and everything else you pray for. If you don’t pray for him and his family the logical reason is you don’t really want to love him or want ever you hate.
The reason why Satan, the powers of darkness and the evil of this world rage against God is because they don’t want to love him! If they did want to love God, they would humble themselves and prove their love for God by seeking forgiveness and reconciliation through his son Jesus Christ. But the sad fact is they and much of the world doesn’t want to love God, so they continue to rage and plot in vain against him.
Are yearning to love God more each day? Are you a person of hate and indifference or a loving person? God will respect our free will. We can be people of love if we want to. John 13:35 reminds us that they will now we are Christians by our love!
Prayer: Thank you Lord for coming into our heart and life to help us to love you and enjoy you. Please move on the people of the world and help them to be convicted of their sins, the righteousness of Christ and your judgment. For your sake please help your creation to love and obey you just as you have always wanted. We ask this in Jesus name.
