Lord, What Are You Doing About the Evil in My Life?

8th Sunday after Pentecost, 7/23/23 Isaiah 44:6-11 Lord, What Are You Doing About the Evil in My Life? I. Listen to who he is. II. Listen to what he does. Raise your hand if, in the last month, you have been bothered by the evil in our world. I thought so. Same here. In fact, I imagine the same number of hands would have been raised if I had shortened that time period to the last week. Maybe even the last 24 hours. Nearly every day we hear about murders. Every day we hear about plots to bring harm to us, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our nation. And you don’t have to go outside the city limits of warm and cheerful Centerville to find evil. Read the Centerville police blotter sometime. You probably won’t read about any murders, but there will be plenty of reports about thefts, domestic violence, and disorderly conduct. And then we look at what evil is doing to the Christian Church on earth. We know that the Church is under attack by powerful governments, anti-Christian policies, and even false teachers and false doctrine within its doors, and we console ourselves with the truth that Christianity is exploding in some parts of the world; but still, look at what’s happening right here with the Church in our beloved USA. It scares me to think what our children will face 20 years from now. What will be left of the Church when they reach adulthood? So, what’s the solution? Well, I’m sure you’ve joined me in wishing that God would rain down the heavenly fire of his judgment on people who openly oppose Christ and his Church. “Lord, you have the power to zap all evil right now. Let’s see some divine action!” But he doesn’t. Instead, as our Lord’s parable reminded us, he allows the wheat and the weeds to exist together. And it will remain that way until Judgment Day. But that could be a long way off. I hope not, but it could be. And the result is that we get frustrated with the evil in our lives—wars, man’s inhumanity to man, prejudice, poverty, illness, disease, pain, suffering, dying. And it becomes so burdensome, that at times we simply have to ask, “Lord, what are you doing about the evil in my life?” It’s been said that misery loves company. You’re not the first Christian to ask that question and you won’t be the last. That’s the question behind what the Lord caused Isaiah to write here in Isaiah 44. So, let’s ask that question once again. Lord, what are you doing about the evil in my life? Now that you’ve asked it, eagerly await the Lord’s answer. Part I. There’s a tsunami heading our way. Not of wind and water, but an inundation of political verbiage. Are you ready for it? Very soon, you will hear endlessly what each and every politician vying for office has done and will do for you, making them the perfect candidate to be your supreme leader for the next four years. I’m already envisioning how often I’ll be pressing the mute, off, skip, and channel change buttons. Because, even though they all claim to be the only one to be able to help you the most, none of them have the power or the record to back it up. But your God does. And, just as in Isaiah’s day, so also in yours, he tells you, “Listen to who I am.” And what he speaks is eternal truth. He cannot lie. He does not exaggerate. He tells it exactly like it is and always will be. He states, “This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me?” Shakespeare’s Romeo once asked, “What’s in a name?” Maybe not much when you’re speaking of human beings, but God’s name means everything and it’s his answer to the evil in your life. First, he calls himself Israel’s King. The Lord never sat on a throne in Jerusalem. He never intended to. But he is the King of all who trust in him. As such, he takes seriously his responsibility to provide for and protect his subjects—you and me. He doesn’t always do so in the way we want him to or think is best, but he always does what is best for us and his kingdom. Always. Second, he calls himself your Redeemer. Some Christians would argue that’s the most beautiful name of all. It means that he loves you so much that he paid the price for you to belong to him forever. And the price he paid was his holy, precious blood. Have you ever had someone die for you? Indeed, you have—God himself. That’s how much he thinks of you. Third, he’s the LORD Almighty. The Hebrew literally reads, “the LORD of Hosts.” He’s the one who leads all the heavenly angels in guarding and protecting you. There is no evil power on earth that can overcome his heavenly power. Satan has already been judged. He’s finished. Fourth, he calls himself the First and Last. In New Testament language, that’s Alpha and Omega. Nothing comes before him and nothing comes after him. He extends before you eternally and after you eternally for one reason—so that he can bless you eternally. Remember that when you’re grousing about the evil in your life. And last, he reminds us that there is no other god. The last thing the majority of people in our world will do is willingly bow before the only true God. Instead, they create their own gods—false gods such as Allah, or the god of money and possessions, the gods of power, fame, and pleasure. And they will do anything to anyone in order to feed their relationship with their gods. And the result is evil in your life. But there is no other God. He doesn’t contend with any other spiritual power. He’s the only one calling the shots. And he’s your God. You belong to him. He loves you eternally. So, if you’re still wondering what the Lord is doing about the evil in your life, the first thing to do is to listen to who he is. But too often, we don’t like the answer we’re hearing. In other words, we go to our sinful default position and place ourselves right alongside God, or, worse, above him. If we were allowed the opportunity to run things, this is what we’d do about the evil in our lives. And we wouldn’t stop taking care of the evil in our lives until we had made a little Garden of Eden for us to occupy and live happily ever after. The only problem with that solution is that the moment you step into your little Garden of Eden, you bring evil into it. Because evil isn’t only out there, it’s right here inside me, inside you. Our solution to evil is no solution at all. So, look to your Lord. He is your King, your Redeemer, your Lord Almighty, your First and Last, the only God. And he reveals himself to you that way for your comfort and assurance. It took nothing less than the death of his Son to bring you into a loving relationship with him. If that’s the case, won’t he take care of the evil in your life in the best way for you? He surely will! Trust him! He’ll never let you down! Part II. In our world, talk is cheap. You know that people can and do say anything to influence you whether what they say is truthful and reliable or not. Obviously, that’s not true with our God. He always backs up what he says with what he does. Listen to him describe that very thing. “Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” He shares with us another name for himself: Rock. And with this name he’s emphasizing what he does. We’re familiar with this name from the Psalms, where our Lord frequently refers to himself as our Rock of refuge. Where else can we find refuge from the assaults of evil in our lives? Where else can we find comfort for the pain that evil causes in our lives? Where can we find a position of strength from which to defend ourselves against the daily attacks of evil? No where else than in the Lord our Rock. He defends us and sustains us. He limits the evil coming toward us and uses the evil he permits to draw us closer to him. And then he goes on the attack. He states, “All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame.” I realize that the Lord is speaking against idol-makers and idolaters here, and not specifically about those who cause evil in your life, but isn’t idolatry at the root of all those who do evil? They refuse to listen to the only true God. They mock his words and ways. They trust some other power or themselves as they carry on their attacks on everything the Lord calls good. And what does he say about them and their efforts? They will be put to shame. What they trusted in is nothing. It doesn’t exist. And, ultimately, he will judge all those who do evil. “They will be brought down to terror and shame.” All evil doers will face their Maker and be condemned. But the Lord won’t put an end to all evil until he returns in judgment on the Last Day. So, Lord, what are you doing about the evil in my life? Here it is. This is his plan. Listen to what he does. If you promise to do something for a child, what can you expect to hear from that child? “When are you going to do it?” They believe your promise, but they want to see it fulfilled immediately. We’re no different with God’s promise to end the evil in our lives. We want to see it now. We’re tired of suffering. We want just one pain-free day when everything goes our way. What are you doing, Lord, to make that happen? Well, for one he limits evil every day of our lives. If Satan had his way with you, your daily life would be like Job’s who suffered unimaginably. Two, the Lord is daily plucking weeds out of this world. They die and meet his judgment and condemnation. And, ultimately, he will end all evil when he returns. So, how should we react to the evil in our lives until then? Find your rest in Christ. That rest comes through his words of promise and comfort. That rest is found in the fact that you belong to him by faith. That rest is found in the Savior who crushed Satan with his death and assured us of victory by his resurrection from the dead. Jesus wins, every time. And you win with him. There’s the answer to the evil in your life! Amen.