Human Condition

6 min read

10 In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise—

11 in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?

— Psalm 56:10-11

Can I praise the word of God without completely trusting the word of God. Can I praise the word of God without fully obeying the word of God?

I have to trust that the word of God comes from the heart and the mouth of God Himself. Listening to God’s word is listening to the Father speak in real time. And He speaks to us because of His great love for each and every one of us. To trust and obey the word of God is what is best for us.

It’s God world, and God’s world operates on God’s rules. And because of His love, He leads us in real time into His kingdom by speaking to us through His word. And when we dwell in His kingdom—when we abide in His word, we find peace, joy, love, mercy, grace, shalom, blessing, happiness.

But we must trust God. And if we truly trust God, should we not obey God?

Sin obstructs the gate that leads into the kingdom of God. Sin makes us second-guess the prudence of trusting and obeying God. And as soon as we trust our sinful nature instead of trusting God, a chain reaction of sin ensues.

Welcome to the human condition.

Trusting and obeying God takes great courage and resolve. Or maybe it just takes a greater fear. We have to trust the ways of God more than the ways of humanity. I have to trust the ways of God more than the ways of me.

Fear of God comes from a deep sense of knowing that God’s world really does operate according to God’s ways. When we go our own way—trusting in our own sinful way instead of the way of love—the result is the broken mess of a world that we see around us.

I have to understand that the sins of others can never justify my own sins. And so whatever wrong others may do to me, what harm can they really do?

A lot, actually. But maybe not as much I might imagine. Even so, am I going to fear the sin of man more than I fear the love of God?

The word of God shows us that sin will run its course fully. There is nothing that anyone can do to stop it. In a way, it almost seems like sin will reach full maturity and then consume itself, sort of like a black hole. It won’t be pretty.

But even if there is nothing that any of us can do about that sin, God urges us to pursue holiness (Matthew 6:33) with the unlimited grace given to us (John 3:16) and to bear witness to Christ, especially by loving one another (John 13:34-35). Because that is still what is best for us.

Father, You are good. Your loving-kindness, faithfulness, and mercy endure forever. Forgive me for my sins. You know them all. I trust that You have forgiven me, as You have promised to me. Give me courage and fear to trust that I can obey the rest of Your commands, especially the one to love and to forgive others. In Jesus’s name. Amen.