Lamenting Those who Dread

Scripture:
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.
God scattered the bones of those who attacked you;
you put them to shame, for God despised them.
Psalm 53:5

Observation: This psalm speaks about those who do not believe in Yahweh. It opens with that ... "The fool says in his heart 'there is no God'" and proceeds from there to describe the behavior of such individuals. They are corrupt, their ways are vile, they never do good, but they devour people and never call on God. Meanwhile, the Lord looks down from heaven, seeking those who may know him and understand his instruction and ways, and finds none.

It is in this verse 5 where the internal outcome of rejecting the Lord is discussed. Such people are overwhelmed with dread, and the worst part about such an overwhelmed life is that there is actually nothing to dread. That's the ultimate irony. When people reject the Lord and ignore his laws and precepts and guidance and love, they now exist in a mindset - if not an actual place - where they live in fear. They spend all their time pursuing riches, pleasure, happiness, justification, and popularity, which results in a mindset where they are always fearing loss, violence, hardship, conflict, and death. They reject the Lord, and their lives become overwhelmed by anxiety and fear.

Application: This exact issue has been raised to me twice recently through 'pop culture' types of avenues. In the first, I was listening to an old favorite song of mine by Rush, and reminded of the line "they shout about love, but when push comes to shove, they live for things they're afraid of." In the second, a Youtuber who does one-man comedy skits portrayed a conversation between a person who never watches the news and one who obsesses over the news and overactions to it on social media ... the first is happy with life, filled with joy even by little things like finding a stick, and delighted by the weather on this perfect day, while the second is overcome by stress to the point of having physical ailments, is mentally exhausted, and declared it was a 'civic duty' to worry about all kinds of major issues that have nothing to do with you or your life.

The Lord warned us. Those who reject the Lord live in a life of perpetual stress and fear. They focus on evil and negative issues, partly because they have rejected paying attention to the good that is the Lord and his creation, and partly because others who likewise reject good now cause evil. They restructure their lives around what they're afraid of ... paying attention to it, worrying about it, protesting it, avoiding it ... and those negative fear-filled aspects of the world become their focus, their 'center', the cause they live for.

What a sad, sad life.

Prayer: Lord, I lament the struggles, fear, and dread of those who have rejected you. I desire to offer them hope, the hope that is found in you. May I specifically, and your Church in general, have opportunities today and every day to introduce hope, peace, and love, through the good news of Jesus, back into the hearts of those experiencing dread because they have rejected you. Amen.