Stop Lurking

Proverbs 24:15“Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place.”Proverbs Daily is a reader-supported publication. All posts are free, but all donations help spread the message. When you see the word “upgrade,” you’re simply invited to help me make the sacred positively contagious...thank you in advance for becoming a free or paid subscriber.In May of 2000, Curtis Jackson, better known as 50 Cent, was sitting in a car outside his grandmother’s house in Queens when a gunman approached.Nine shots.One hit him in the face.He survived.Three years later, the world heard him rapping about that experience in “Many Men.”I’ve heard that song a hundred times.But one detail stopped me.It didn’t happen at a club.It didn’t happen backstage.It happened at his grandmother’s house.A dwelling place.Listen to Proverbs 24:15:“Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place.” (NIV)Now notice who Solomon is talking to.Not the person inside.He doesn’t say:“Be afraid.”“Move.”“Build a taller fence.”He turns toward whoever is outside.Do not lurk.Solomon looks into the shadows and says:I see you.Now before you picture somebody hiding in bushes with a weapon…come closer.Most of us have never lurked outside somebody’s house.But we’ve lurked on somebody’s page.Watching.Scrolling.Somebody’s doing well.Their marriage looks happy.Their career is moving.Their ministry is growing.And something inside us is just…available.Waiting for the crash.We even call it lurking.I’m not here to scold you.Just notice it.Sometimes envy doesn’t attack.It watches.Sometimes jealousy doesn’t speak.It waits.But here’s what comforts me.The person inside the house doesn’t even have to know you’re there.Wisdom sees the shadows.And before the righteous person is told to be afraid, the lurker is told to leave.Maybe that’s God’s mercy working both directions.Protecting the house.And calling the lurker back into the light.Wait…There’s a bar in there somewhere.God’s mercies be working while these lurkers be lurking,Better step back before it’s closed curtains!What is this…Freestyle Friday?Anyway…Maybe mercy really does work like that.Guarding the house while still calling people out of the shadows.🔥 REMEMBERYou don’t have to fall for somebody else to rise.🙏🏽 PRAYERLord, guard our homes and keep me from the shadows.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEThink of one person doing well whom you’ve quietly, maybe even secretly, expected to stumble. Reverse the lurk. Send them something kind today. Encourage them. Celebrate them. Bless the house instead of waiting for it to fall.About the AuthorFred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch📱Experience Proverbs Daily by Subscribing!Ready to receive daily wisdom directly on your phone?Go to proverbsdaily.org for the app  or just click that Subscribe button right now! Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe