January 09, 2024
So many things in our lives are driven by our innate desire for justice. We are wronged—in our home, at work, in the church—and we feel an intense need to see justice done.
The problem is that our sinfulness skews our passion for justice. It is often driven by selfishness or revenge. Our means of “getting even” are illegitimate and even hurtful. We find ourselves doing the same things we accuse others of committing. This approach never solves, but merely complicates the situation.
WHERE IS GOD?
We know God could fix this, but we often don’t give Him a chance. We take matters into our own hands, defending ourselves or seeking retribution. But listen to David, the shepherd-king who was wrongfully attacked most of his life.
Don’t miss the nuances in this wise assessment from a seasoned leader.
God is PRESENT
He “abides forever” and “has established His throne for judgment.” He’s not going on vacation. He specifically resides on a throne above every throne indicating that He rules and His word and will cannot be removed. He sees every unjust situation you face and is active in His judgments.
God is JUDGING
Notice the adverb: “He WILL judge the world in righteousness. He WILL execute judgment for the peoples with equity.” This is not a “might” but an affirmation that a perfectly just God will accomplish perfect justice with perfect timing.
God is FAIR
“It’s not fair,” we often say. And it often seems so. But God is watching and judging, and He will judge the people with “equity.” And be careful as you evaluate fairness from your perspective. Heaven will reveal that every judgment by God was precisely as it should have been.
God is FOR YOU
God will always “maintain our just cause” for those who trust Him. He sees what’s wrong and takes care of His own. We don’t have to feverishly and fearfully work to maintain our cause. We simply trust Him and move at His initiation. We say what He instructs us to say and do what He tells us to do in any situation. Sometimes, we are called to march, sometimes to simply “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.”
You can TRUST GOD and REJOICE!
We can put our confidence in Him that any needed justice will be done in due time. We can rest there. Our call to never take our own revenge is a faith step, as we take the issue from our courtroom and transfer it, in faith, to the courtroom of heaven (see Romans 12:17-21).
The beginning and ending of David’s Psalm are bookended by praise. “I will give thanks to the Lord,” he begins. And “Sing praises to the Lord … for He does not forget the cry of the afflicted” are his closing words. His praise erupts because He knows the righteousness of His faithful Father.
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