The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." Psalms 14:1
April Fool’s Day…a day made internationally famous because it is “widely recognized and celebrated as a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on each other”. But beyond the “tricks” of this day, the Bible has a lot to say on what it means to be a fool. I was surprised to discover over 50 references* to the nature of a fool in the English Standard Version of the Bible alone!
Perhaps one of the most well-known reference to a fool is found in Psalms 14:1: The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." I used to think that this verse was referring to the atheist who refuses to acknowledge that there is a God who created this world. But I have come to understand that there are many more ways to say in our heart“There is no God”. Attitudes of doubt, fear, complaint, ungratefulness, pride, strife and unforgiveness testify to the world what we are saying in our heart. Because these attitudes often result in behaviours that are not in keeping with a Spirit-filled life, we are essentially saying in our hearts – if not our lips - “There is no God”. God’s power, His Spirit, His grace and His provision is insufficient…therefore He does not really exist.
As we enter into the second quarter of what has been a God-empowered year, perhaps now is a good time to check our heart condition. What message is “our heart”, our priorities and our actions sending out? Ultimately we are either declaring there is no God or there is a God - a mighty, loving, powerful, promise-keeping, sin-delivering, grace-giving, fate-controlling and all-sufficient Father God - and I am His beloved child.
Family, let’s not be “fooled” today or any other day!
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