Wicked, Alone

Do the wicked see themselves as wicked?

Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!  Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night.  They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper. It is not so with the wicked; they are like chaff which the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed. - Psalm 1:1-6

We are watching two men battling it out on the world stage.  One represents forty million people, while the other stands alone.  

Those who choose to rule by fear have no friends.  They earn no respect.  They are the trees that can bear no fruit, so they steal the fruit from others.

But how we see one another is interesting.  In a recent poll of Americans, while most see Putin as out of control, power-hungry or evil, there are a good number who see him as a strong leader and a man who loves his country.  Some (9%) even say he is a genius.

11% say that Putin is acting rationally toward the Ukraine. So what does that tell us?

There is a certain fascination we have for truly wicked people.  The cold, calculating mind that values victory over human life tends to intrigue those of us who could not imagine being that way ourselves.

Jesus taught that there is a way to stand up to this power-hungry type, by turning the other cheek and walking the extra mile.

We often see that as weakness, but it is a sign that we will not back down in the face of tyranny and fear.

Zelensky and the 40 million Ukrainians he leads are that stanchion of faith that is resisting the onslaught while remaining flexible.  They have no guarantees of victory in this war, but they are clear in their conviction.

We are watching living examples of the power of coming together as a people in defense of a cause, and we pray that they can hold out long enough for the rest of us to figure out how to stand with them.

More to come...