The Three Letter Word that Changes Everything-
My soul waits in hope for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning- Psalm 130:6 NASB
Malaise.
It’s real.
The dictionary defines malaise as:
An uncomfortable feeling that something is wrong, especially with society, and that you cannot change the siltation.
In recent weeks, I have been afflicted with a persistent sense of malaise. It has manifested itself in an uncomfortable, uneasy sense that there are a lot of things wrong with a lot of things.
The feeling intensified following a quick visit to the West side of the state (the progressive side). It was supposed to be a fun trip, instead I was left feeling glum, despondent and depressed. It was more than the woke monkey business that passes for morality and the sin that’s celebrated with wild abandon on that side of the state that left me feeling forlorn.
It was literally everything.
It was coming across the statistic that a mere nine-percent of Gen-Z (12-27-year-olds) identify as Christians. This means the American college town I visited last week is in desperate need of a Christian missionary presence, probably more so than most remote African villages. It also means the enormous stacks of cash collectively spent on Church youth and children’s programs over the last three decades did not get the job done. The money, time and energy expended on those programs might have been better spent elsewhere.
Sigh.
But there’s more.
The political realm is legitimately really terrible and the terribleness is not unique to my city, state or country. The terribleness is global. I used to love the intrigue of politics, I actually thought politics were fun, those days are in the rear view now. The political realm is just too dark, icky and hopeless these days. Political leaders worldwide are all about an agenda that has nothing to do with promoting what’s best for the average person (Isaiah 10:1-3, Psalm 64:2, Proverbs 16:27).
Moreover.
I totally get that there have always been bad people in this world. However, the process of normalizing sin has been going on for decades, and now a large portion of our population appears to be going feral right before our very eyes (Isaiah 5:20-21). At the same time good Christian people are struggling to have their voices heard over the din of culture (2nd Timothy 3:12-14).
And last but not least,
The organization tasked by God with fostering healthy behavior in every society on earth—the church—is struggling to get her bearings and find her voice in the midst of all this social upheaval and moral mayhem (Ephesians 3:9-10.
It was a lot.
I might have wallowed around in my discomfort indefinitely. However, I just happened to come across an unlikely Bible passage that snapped me out of my malaise and left me with a fresh sense of hope for the future.
Here it is:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God- 1stCorinthians 6:9-11 NASB
Okay, so, I will be the first to admit that the first couple of sentences of this passage are not particularly encouraging or hopeful. Truth-be-told, they are the worst kind of a bummer. We, like the first readers who read these words have all fallen somewhere on the spectrum of unrighteousness described in this passage at some point in our life. That wasn’t the good part. It was the little three letter word “but” that changed everything and brought hope:
BUT you were washed-
BUT you were sanctified-
BUT you were justified-
The word but is not just good news for those of us who have been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus. Those of us who know Jesus can and should rejoice in the hope this passage offers to those of us who have been redeemed.
There’s also a whole lot of good news in here for our sin-sick world. The first people who read Paul’s words (the Corinthian Christians) lived in a world that was at least as messy the one we live in. There was more moral filth, more political intrigue, more sin and less righteousness in the ancient world than we see in our world today and that world changed.
It got better.
Christians kept the faith, spread the word and lived out the gospel. As a result, all sorts of unlikely people came to know Jesus and the ancient world slowly but surely became a better place. Over time governments became more just and human rights became a thing. If it happened it can happen now.
So.
Don’t lose hope (Romans 5:5, Romans 12:12). Don’t let malaise wear you down and steal your joy (Hebrews 6:10-12). Instead remember that one sweet, hope-filled little word: but. I’m convinced it’s the best word ever. It stands as a reminder that God is on His throne, life is fluid and hope is real (2nd Corinthians 1:10, Galatians 5:5). The things that look bleakest today might just be a source of rejoicing tomorrow.
