Readings:
Genesis 32:13 - 34:31
Matthew 11: 7-30
Psalm 14: 1-7
Proverbs 3: 19-20
Psalms reading: "Only fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God' ". Many people place themselves and others under condemnation because of this verse, often in response to honest doubt or a cry of anguish. For example, someone who does not yet have a relationship with Jesus may doubt the existence of God only because they have not yet come to the place where they have encountered God personally. Our response should be to witness and testify, not to condemn. Likewise, when someone go through some sort of trauma or tragedy, it may seem to them in that moment that God is absent from their lives. Yet they know in their heart that this is not true - it's just the hurt crying out in the heat of the moment, and we should respond with comfort rather than judgement.
I'm therefore not convinced that the Psalmist is referring to the above situation. Rather, it is the person who consciously and wilfully chooses to renounce God, or deny God's existence, who is the "fool" in this instance. Even then, the love of Jesus can soften even the hardest hearts. It is therefore not for us to judge, but to love - and to allow the love of Jesus to shine through us. For even the most obstinate "fool" may come face to face with the living God!
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