WHO ARE THE “FOOLS” WHO “SAY IN THEIR HEARTS, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 53:1)? We don’t see atheists doing far worse things than other people. In fact, where we find the most heinous deceits, abuses of power, and oppressions, they are often done for religious reasons, from church leaders who bully to militant groups who kill in the name of God.

God comes to earth to see if there is anyone who believes in him with a pure heart, who acts as if he truly exists. And he finds … no one! A humbling truth. At one level or another, all of us live from deceit, doubt, or fear rather than trust in God. And yet there does seem to be another group, an exception: “my people.” God’s people are God’s treasure, and the fools (religious or not) are simply those who “eat up my people as they eat bread” (Ps 53:4). God’s people obey him enough to be mistaken for fools in the world’s eyes. In contrast, the real fools, in doubt and fear, become greedy in their behavior, regardless of what they profess to believe.

Are we God’s people, or are we fools? In the revelation of Christ, we see we are both. We are welcomed in God’s name, and as we approach, we know our foolishness and greed more and more intimately in the light of his holiness and are set free to repent. This is how the Lord restores the fortunes of his people. This is how he saves fools.

Inhabit (a devotional journal for Lent by Dwell)