"I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly."
Psalms 85:8
The first part of this verse reminded me of the times in our lives when we want the Lord to comfort us and help us get through something. The last part reminded me of when we sometimes foolishly want him to say that something we did wrong is okay, and comfort us that way. Comfort is a good thing in the first case, but it would be deceptive disservice in the second case, because (though we often want it to be) sin is never going to be okay, and convincing ourselves that it *is* okay just prolongs and exacerbates the problem.
It's kind of like a kid going to a parent for comfort, right? If he fell off his bike, then treating the injury, getting the healing started, and comforting him that things are going to be okay is a healthy strategy. But if that same kid is biting people and wants comfort because someone yelled at him for it or stopped him, maybe a different strategy is in order. Comfort isn't necessarily a bad choice, but in this case it needs to come after some correction so that the child knows that things will be okay *if* he stops the behavior, and that if he needs help he can get it.
The Lord will speak peace to us, and he knows that we often need it as we sort of stumble through this life sometimes. He loves us, and he asks us to hear his voice and allow the comforting presence of his spirit into our lives. To have that though, we need to really be careful to not go back to our sins. That risks our progress, our peace, and our connection to our Savior because the more we sin and distract ourselves with other things, the harder it is to hear him or feel his spirit. Let's avoid folly today, and pray to find peace through God.
Psalms 85:8
The first part of this verse reminded me of the times in our lives when we want the Lord to comfort us and help us get through something. The last part reminded me of when we sometimes foolishly want him to say that something we did wrong is okay, and comfort us that way. Comfort is a good thing in the first case, but it would be deceptive disservice in the second case, because (though we often want it to be) sin is never going to be okay, and convincing ourselves that it *is* okay just prolongs and exacerbates the problem.
It's kind of like a kid going to a parent for comfort, right? If he fell off his bike, then treating the injury, getting the healing started, and comforting him that things are going to be okay is a healthy strategy. But if that same kid is biting people and wants comfort because someone yelled at him for it or stopped him, maybe a different strategy is in order. Comfort isn't necessarily a bad choice, but in this case it needs to come after some correction so that the child knows that things will be okay *if* he stops the behavior, and that if he needs help he can get it.
The Lord will speak peace to us, and he knows that we often need it as we sort of stumble through this life sometimes. He loves us, and he asks us to hear his voice and allow the comforting presence of his spirit into our lives. To have that though, we need to really be careful to not go back to our sins. That risks our progress, our peace, and our connection to our Savior because the more we sin and distract ourselves with other things, the harder it is to hear him or feel his spirit. Let's avoid folly today, and pray to find peace through God.
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