FW:

The Internet is a marvelous thing. The idea that I can Tweet a thought, release it into the "Cloud," and within seconds the few score of people who follow me on Twitter can read and react to it... What will they think of next?

Of course we are all familiar with the ubiquitous email. No stamp. No fuss. You don't even have to know how to spell as long as you can right click. (Yes, the Mac Mighty Mouse does have a right click.) You even get junk email! What a world. And then there is the infamous forward, or simply Fw: Sometimes the "Fw:" can be very useful. Occasionally I receive a Fw: that is truly enjoyable or enlightening; however, far too often they are of the Chicken Little variety.

I was reading Psalm 11 today and it put me in mind of a Chicken Little Fw: I like the psalmist's attitude toward such information. It seems that someone had sent him the following:

“Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Please forward this to everyone on your mailing list and don't forget to sign the attached petition and send a copy to your elected representatives. (Italics mine.)

OK, I'm all for democracy in action, but I'm far more in favor of God in action. Apart from the fact that at least half of the forwards that read like this aren't even true, what's wrong with trusting in God? The call is always to action but never, or rarely, to prayer. If Christians got half as motivated about serving God as they do about serving the whims of some political operative writing bogus panic messages it would be nothing less than kingdom come.

I love the psalmist's reply. "How can you send me this junk? I trust in the Lord. The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face." Now, what was that you were saying about the what the wicked are going to do?