Psalm 20:1-7
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
I recently sat in a lecture listening to one of the most brilliant young theologians I’ve heard in quite a while. He was eloquent, well spoken, knowledgeable and engaging. And I was extremely impressed with his presentation until he began to speak of some events in black history. I was especially outraged by his characterization of the Newark riots of 1967. He had the nerve to plead that we never return to those days or destructive actions. How dare he?
First of all, I was in the midst of it when it first began. My great aunt and other homeowners in the area were either collaborators or sympathizers. It was a time of unprecedented change and upheaval in American society. A sad, but necessary chain of events. What this young speaker does not realize is those times called for drastic measures. When he said we were not smart for burning down our own neighborhoods I almost lost it. The hardships and disregard for the lives of the people living in our neighborhoods was too much to bare. And yes we burned businesses to the ground, vandalized properties and demolished an entire area of Newark; but none of those areas were ours anyway. We never burned our properties (because we had none). We burnt theirs! So what you saw after the riots was only a true reflection of what black folk really owned and controlled. Nothing!
But thank the Lord for Monsignor William Linder, a pioneer in America’s community development movement who founded New Community Corporation in 1968. New Community is a nonprofit organization that transformed a blighted area of Newark following the 1967 riots by building new housing and providing critical services like job training. Please note: It wasn’t until the Church came to the rescue did things begin to change.
As I ponder on the errors of the statements made by this young man I categorically believe it’s not at all his fault. In matter of fact, it’s my fault. First of all, I’m spending time talking about him instead of talking to him, (gotta send him this message) and secondarily, his base of information is from the very institutions designed to ensure black folk don’t expand beyond the cultural dictates created to keep us in line. No one is going to give you the education to overthrow them.
Young people, we sent you to school that you might know some things. We hoped you might learn some things and bring them back to us. But you came back believing you understood some things. And knowing and understanding are completely different. You may have knowledge, but it’s imperative you add wisdom and understanding to your newly acquired knowledge. It’s no wonder when you recite what you’ve learned from your history classes regarding us lacks the power of authenticity and relevance. That’s information without revelation.
As we review the Psalm this morning there is a pivotal moment where the writer goes from a prayer for us to dropping some wisdom on us. Did you catch that? He says, Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
No one can write like that without first having an intimate relationship with the Lord. No one can express the depths of trust and confidence in God without having had experience with Him. There’s a level of relationship that supersedes information. There’s a degree of confidence that can only be acquired through intimacy with the Father. Fortunately, we are surrounded with people who have had the requisite experience and wisdom to lead us to true epiphany. For everyone born after the riots and turbulent times of the 60s and 70s, you have historians (us-storians) to give proper context to the actual events that impacted us without biased commentary. But you won’t find this wisdom in seminary, or bible college. You will find it sitting right next to you in pews or watching with you online. That’s right, wise believers living right among us with experiences and perspectives that come from their walk with God; their trust in His Word and time spent living life.
While I pray all things work in your favor, the promise of God is that all things work for the good of them that love Him. And sometimes that requires going through difficult times. Enduring riots, hardships, trials and tribulations. But don’t despair, God’s got you, and we’ll help you too.
God Bless
