“Light shines in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous. It goes well for a person who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment. For he will never be shaken; The righteous will be remembered forever. He will not fear bad news; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is firm, he will not fear, But will look with satisfaction on his enemies.”
— Psalm 112:4-8 NAS20

This world we live in has entered a time of upheaval and chaos that we, in the United States, have not seen since the Depression-World War II era, or maybe even the Civil War. It is very upsetting to all of us. Even further from the economic issues that are greatly impacting us, along with wars and the rumors of wars, is the complete and total moral collapse that the western world, and the United States, has been experiencing. Things can look bleak!
There are two Psalms that I’d like to contrast:
Psalm 109, The Taker Psalm
Psalm 112, The Giver Psalm
I encourage you to read these both and let the Holy Spirit speak to you.
Psalm 109 is a bleak picture of the evil that people default to without God. Peter attributed parts of this to Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of all betrayers, in Acts 1:16.
Judas was a taker.

• He took money, and stole;
• He took trust, and took advantage;
• He took love, and replaced it with lust (greed);
• He took three years of sacrifice, and sold it for pennies on the dollar;
• He took everything God gave him and traded it for infamy, from that point in time being known for eternity as a liar, cheat, traitor, thief and betrayer.

• “Light shines in the darkness for the upright.” (Psalm 112:4 NAS20) We can look at the darkness as oppression, or we can look at it as opportunity. The choice is mine; the choice is yours. Speaking of Jesus, consider this: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
• “He will not fear bad news; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” (Psalm 112:7 NAS20). Fear* is sin. Plain and simple, Fear and faith (trust) do not coexist. Fear stifles faith! However, faith eliminates fear! Again, it is my choice, and your choice, as to whom we believe. Do you choose to believe God? Or do you trust in this world’s system?
• “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)
• “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.” (Psalm 118:6–9 NKJV)

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
— Matthew 6:19–21 NAS20

* Fear meaning the fear of man, the fear that replaces trusting God. “The fear of man brings a snare, But one who trusts in the LORD will be protected.” — Prov. 29:25;