Hope Dropped In!

Psalm 53:6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

One of the most ridiculous statements a person can make is this: There is no God. In order for that statement to be true, that person would have to have infinite knowledge. And the definition of God is one who has infinite knowledge. So that person would have to be God, therefore disproving the statement. But I get lost in logic again!

The history of humanity is one of failure, failure to live up to their own expectations and ideals and failure to meet the simple standard of obedience to the LORD. We see it in the chaos in Haiti and the collapse of the bridge in Baltimore. People disappoint.

Our text comes from a Psalm that lays out humanity’s failures in broad strokes. Observation of humanity would bring the conclusion that everyone has failed. And these are not simple failures, small insignificant failings.

Take a look at the words of this Psalm. “They devour my people as though eating bread.” Now that is some level of callousness! And yet we see this again and again across the globe today. The inhumanity of humanity.

But wait. It seems as though humans ARE acting like humans! Humans have always failed to rise to their “image of God” status. What should we expect from fallen humanity except behavior that lines up with that fallen status. People act like people, not like God.

So when the Psalm ends with the words of our text today, they seem out of place. What would restoration look like? All we see is destruction and sinful behavior. What would holiness look like? How could the LORD restore a people that have never lived up to their calling?

Thus enters Jesus. He brings the possibility of true restoration, a new heart and a new beginning. Not perfection in this life, but an ever-continuing progression of holy living, each act of obedience bringing us closer to living in his image.

Now if we could get hundreds of millions of humans each doing this individually, and then in community, the world could be changed. When the Holy Spirit is empowering people to live the holy life he desires, then those individual acts become a movement, one that could change our world. It wouldn’t bring heaven on earth, but it would recognize that heaven is already here. God’s presence is heaven one earth. And he is present in his people.