Watching evil win is grievous to the soul. When violence and wickedness against others and God seems to prevail it can cause us to want to throw in the towel and grab hold of the thought that my prayers and my actions don't make a difference. In Daniel chapter 8, Daniel had a very disturbing prophetic dream in which violence and evil were winning. Daniel writes that after this vision he was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Witnessing wickedness eats at our souls. It can make us feel hopeless and helpless.
What can we do in such times?
What did Daniel do after feeling ill and weakened from this awareness of evil. Daniel writes, "Then I got up and went about the king's business."
There are so many distressing reports of hardship, wickedness and sin from all over the world these days. But it is worth noting that in his time, Daniel, though profoundly impacted by what he had witnessed, did not let it paralyze him...he got up and did what he was called to do.
If you find your soul troubled by this world, you are in good company. And although it may feel like a curse to be so burdened by the injustice you see around you, it is gift from God to you. It make us humble, prayerful, compassionate and loving. When we surrender our brokenness to the Lord...it motivates us to serve Him
with greater intensity and passion, recognizing in that in the end good wins and God prevails.
One of my favorite chorus to sing when I have hit the bottom is I Cast All My Cares Upon You.
"I cast all my cares upon You I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet And any time I don't know what to do I will cast all my cares upon You"
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10
