Cynicism and the King

The message of the Bible can be summed up as so:

An omnibenevolent God's perfect world was trashed, but that God entered the story as a Man, lived a perfect life, died the death we deserved, and will return to reign. To reign as a King in a Kingdom. It's His world. He gets to run it.

Here's the problem, I often fail to remember the last half of that story. I don't remember the King and the Kingdom that is to come. I think about my problems, my actions, my attempts to live for Him.

And that doesn't work.

That just leads me to a place of doubt, and skepticism, and burnout, and cynicism. I'm really good at cynicism. I could ruin your best day. And while I'd like to claim its because I have a firm handle on "the truth" and "how it really is" and "life", that's not true.

Cynicism doesn't arise out of truth. It doesn't come out of some rational argument. Actually, my cynicism is the single most irrational thing I find myself believing. Ask my best friend for examples of some of the ridiculous junk I've brought to him.

There's no place for cynicism when we have promises like this from Revelation 21:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

That's the King and that's the Kingdom. This is the promise of God, the true story, that I need to hear. And when I hear this story, when I remember this story, it's easy for me to say, "Yeah, I agree with that."

When we get the King right (in the here and now), we'll see the Kingdom begin to play out (yes, even now).

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of Yahweh, our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,

but we rise up and stand firm.

O, Yahweh [the True King], save the king [the lowercase king]!

Answer us when we call!

Psalm 20:7-9