Perfect Chaos

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Above is an extract from the opening of Psalm 37. Did you know that the Psalms are written about in the Qur’an, and are described as Scripture in the Qur’an? I don’t think a lot of Christians are aware of this. I find the Psalms to be ceaselessly encouraging, and stabilising, during times of distress.

Friends, there’s so much I want to tell you. I had a wonderful day yesterday. I went to the library to do some study for my work-in-progress book ‘Divine Justice’, and explored an incredibly interesting and important series of Scriptures from the Bible and Qur’an on the subject of the resurrection of the dead. It’s such an important subject and because of that I will reserve my reflections for a future, dedicated post.

While I was walking in one of the London parks yesterday, I was approached by a video maker. He was speaking to people and filming their responses for his YouTube channel (and TikTok). We ended up having a long chat and he filmed me answering some questions about my life, my beliefs, and my current circumstances. He very kindly offered to help me. Also, another Muslim friend very graciously helped me out yesterday, and I wish God’s blessings upon him for his kindness.

I am feeling rather grounded and at peace right now (largely as a result of reading Psalm 37!). I am grateful to those who have been reading my recent posts, and of course am immensely grateful to everyone who has been praying for me. May God bless you for your concern for my wellbeing and safety.

When the gentleman who filmed me posts his video, I intend to share it here. I have been praying about it, because it is so difficult to accurately relay my life circumstances in just a few minutes of footage. I would hate for the video to fail to convey my circumstances correctly, and I worry a little that I may not have expressed myself perfectly, or have been clear enough. But what’s done is done, and whatever happens in existence is God’s will, so I must trust in that, while praying that I can express myself better in the future. On the whole, I think it went well.

Today, the sun is shining in London and there is clear blue sky — always a great joy. I am thankful to God for the good mood I find myself in, despite the challenges of life in London!

Peace be with you all.

Just a reminder that I have written over a dozen books exploring all the big problems and questions of philosophy and theology. To find out more, visit the Books page.