Hope in the Age of Rage
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold My chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
And He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not boast or cry out
Or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break
And a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
He will not falter or be discouraged Til he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope."
Isaiah 42: 1-4
We live in an age of rage. All seemingly feel justified in their fury, with terms like "social justice" ,"anti-semitism" ,"anti-fascism "and the like, all being carelessly bandied about irresponsibly, with freedom of speech as the first victim.
As law professor Jonathan Turley points out in his book, "The Indispensable Right",
"We have become a nation of rage addicts; flailing against anyone or anything that stands in opposition to our own truths. Like all addictions, there is not only a dependency on rage but an intolerance for opposing views. Our Constitution was written not only for times like these, but in a time like this. Yet there are few historical periods that match the current level of violent and hateful speech from both the left and the right It is a sign of citizens becoming untethered from the values that have defined them and their professions; it is a crises of faith that reaches every corner of our society."
What a contrast between the self-righteous zealots of our day and the Servant of the Lord. He was faced with social injustice, religious persecution, racism, and cancel culture (assassination attempts). Isaiah prophetically describes the time:
So justice is driven back,
And righteousness stands at a distance;
Truth has stumbled in the streets,
Honesty cannot enter.
Truth is nowhere to be found,
And whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
He was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
So his own arm achieved salvation for him,
And his own righteousness sustained him.
Isaiah 59:15-16
I was seduced by the siren song of "social justice" during my senior year in college. The minority students at my college, (black, hispanic, native American Indian) selected me, among 4 other student representatives to negotiate with the administration, as we had taken over the administration building. The issue was financial aid cut-backs without the administration even discussing the cuts with the program directors . During the two weeks of the occupation, personality conflicts between the administration and us required an outside arbitrator from Equal Employment Opportunity. There was ultimately victory for the students - the financial cuts were restored.
But I left college a very angry young man, almost convinced my enemy was another race of people.
I was looking for such a one as the Scripture describes;" one who did not boast or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets". He did not have to. I was a broken reed, a smoldering wick, looking for mercy and afraid of justice. I discovered the true source of my rage-it was with God. Having surrendered my life to Him, my war with God was over . I found everything I was looking for in Jesus Christ.
We are a nation of rage addicts, in search of One Who wants them to know that war between them and God is over. "We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor.5:20-21
Be reconciled to God.
Questions to Think About
I will put my Spirit on him,
And He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not boast or cry out
Or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break
And a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
He will not falter or be discouraged Til he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope."
Isaiah 42: 1-4
We live in an age of rage. All seemingly feel justified in their fury, with terms like "social justice" ,"anti-semitism" ,"anti-fascism "and the like, all being carelessly bandied about irresponsibly, with freedom of speech as the first victim.
As law professor Jonathan Turley points out in his book, "The Indispensable Right",
"We have become a nation of rage addicts; flailing against anyone or anything that stands in opposition to our own truths. Like all addictions, there is not only a dependency on rage but an intolerance for opposing views. Our Constitution was written not only for times like these, but in a time like this. Yet there are few historical periods that match the current level of violent and hateful speech from both the left and the right It is a sign of citizens becoming untethered from the values that have defined them and their professions; it is a crises of faith that reaches every corner of our society."
What a contrast between the self-righteous zealots of our day and the Servant of the Lord. He was faced with social injustice, religious persecution, racism, and cancel culture (assassination attempts). Isaiah prophetically describes the time:
So justice is driven back,
And righteousness stands at a distance;
Truth has stumbled in the streets,
Honesty cannot enter.
Truth is nowhere to be found,
And whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.
The lord looked and was displeased
that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
He was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
So his own arm achieved salvation for him,
And his own righteousness sustained him.
Isaiah 59:15-16
I was seduced by the siren song of "social justice" during my senior year in college. The minority students at my college, (black, hispanic, native American Indian) selected me, among 4 other student representatives to negotiate with the administration, as we had taken over the administration building. The issue was financial aid cut-backs without the administration even discussing the cuts with the program directors . During the two weeks of the occupation, personality conflicts between the administration and us required an outside arbitrator from Equal Employment Opportunity. There was ultimately victory for the students - the financial cuts were restored.
But I left college a very angry young man, almost convinced my enemy was another race of people.
I was looking for such a one as the Scripture describes;" one who did not boast or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets". He did not have to. I was a broken reed, a smoldering wick, looking for mercy and afraid of justice. I discovered the true source of my rage-it was with God. Having surrendered my life to Him, my war with God was over . I found everything I was looking for in Jesus Christ.
We are a nation of rage addicts, in search of One Who wants them to know that war between them and God is over. "We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Cor.5:20-21
Be reconciled to God.
Questions to Think About
- In a culture that often rewards the loudest, angriest voices, how does the quiet strength of the Lord's Servant challenge your understanding of true power and effective action?
- Could any of your outward frustrations (politics, people, circumstances) be masking an inward struggle or a war with God?
Posted in Devotions