Psalm 35.1
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! 

  • March 2013 — Sarin gas attack on the city of Aleppo. 19 dead.
  • August 2013 — Sarin gas attacks on two suburbs outside Damascus. Over 200 dead.
  • April/May 2014 — Chlorine attacks on three villages in Idlib. 13 dead.
  • March 2015 — Chlorine attacks on four villages in Idlib. 6 dead.

These are the documented chemical weapons attacks on the Syrian people by their president, Bashar al-Assad.
After delegates from the U.N. viewed video from the most recent chlorine bombing Samantha Power, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., told reporters “if there was a dry eye in the room I didn’t see it.”

The President of the Syrian American Medical Society, Zaher Sahloul, added, “Clearly they were affected by what they have seen in the videos and what they have heard, many of them spoke outside the diplomatic language and many of them have said that this is outrageous and the perpetrators should be brought to justice.”

If modernism were capable of bringing peace to the earth we would have seen it by now.

If secularism were capable of bringing peace we would look to Europe, who would be well on the way.

If man’s religious longings were capable of bringing peace we wouldn’t be in this predicament in modern culture anyway.

In a world reeling from — and trapped in — the pain and brokenness of sin, God must fight for us. David, the psalmist, sees this and cries out in Psalm 31. Injustice has gained the upper hand and only the transcendent justice of the world’s creator is sufficient to restore peace.

Because of our place in history we can see what David could not. “A great spectacle is it, to see God armed for thee,“ Augustine remarks in his book, Expositions on the Book of Psalms. God has heard our groaning under the weight of sin, and he has not left us alone. He sent his son to step in harm’s way on our behalf — to die, that we might live.

Prayer
Father, our hearts cry out like David’s — not only at the grotesque injustices that plague our world, but at the daily injustices which cost each of us so greatly. Only you can bring an end to our pain. Only you can dry the tears of our eyes with the hope that what is lost will be restored. Draw us to Jesus, the first fruit of the resurrection.

Today’s Readings
Numbers 1 (Listen – 6:21)
Psalm 35(Listen – 3:21)

Resting in Faith
Part 5 of 5, read more on TheParkForum.org

This Weekend’s Readings
Saturday: Numbers 2 (Listen – 3:47); Psalm 36 (Listen – 1:29)
Sunday: Numbers 3 (Listen – 6:01); Psalm 37 (Listen – 4:21)