In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Ephesians 2:21-22.

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. Proverbs 3:5 AMP.

Together – we are being built to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. And it is in Creator God, our Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit – that this whole building of us is able to be joined together. As we heard in the sermon yesterday, it is our Father! When we begin to trust God, we begin to see we can trust Him for all things. We begin to understand that verse…Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7. When we sow anger, we reap anger. The “crop” we get, sowed in anger, is by our choice, not by God’s design.

And in our psalm, Psalm 54, David seeks God to protect him from those who sow violence. Arrogant foes are attacking me; ruthless people are trying to kill me – people without regard for God…Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them…v. 3, 5. The evil they sow will recoil on them. Their choice…not by God’s design because God desires our good together.

Last night we watched a remarkable episode on 60 Minutes about the Mountain Seed Foundation. Led by a US Marine healing from the evil he witnessed in war, he is providing a way for women and children in need of healing from the evil of the war in Ukraine, to find the strength to rise. They do it together. They are not alone.

Evil is the absence of God by personal choice. We have all of us been hurt by the evil in our world in every generation. By our choices.

And by God’s design, we will be healed together. Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. v. 4. God’s choice is to save us which He already has done. Our choice is to repent and turn to Him for understanding that does not come from us. We don’t ever have to do that alone. It isn’t only God who is with us. It is all the others God is healing who are with us. We are imperfect, scared, scarred, uncertain about everything except that we are loved by our God and He is helping us to love one another. Not by our choice…by His design. This is His plan! As you begin to walk with Him, you will experience His love that lights our path with Him. Lord, help us come out of our foxholes and with Your help, begin to love. Help us to trust You. Your design and Your plan is for our good always.