Father, I know You are righteous and just.
I seek You and Your ways.
In faith, I cry out to You –
that Your enduring love will display
Your truth, mercy, and justice to all.
Series Focus: “Eyes to See and Ears to Hear”
Have you ever had someone come against you, treating you unfairly? Have you endured injustice – directly or indirectly – at the hand of another? Think back to a time you’ve experienced an adverse situation. Did you speak up? Defend yourself? Seek assistance from a friend or authority figure? Was justice achieved? A solution implemented? Forgiveness communicated? Peace resolved?
This world is full of people operating in misjudgment, unrighteousness, prejudice, and mistreatment of others. Unfortunately, we all have probably been on both sides of the equation at different times. Jesus told a story in Luke 18:2-8 about a woman, her adversary, and a judge:
He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”
The judge in this story was an unrighteous man who neither reverenced God nor respected people. The widow had no defender, no husband, and probably no son to help her against her adversary – or she would have turned to them. The judge being her only hope, the widow relentlessly sought his assistance. Only because of the widow’s persistence, the judge provided justice to her. How much more – and more readily – does God, being righteous, provide justice to those who bring their troubles to Him!
This story is similar to the story Jesus told in Matthew 7 about a father providing good things to his children. In verse 11, Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Both stories communicate the message that people can do good, can provide, can help – but how much more does God do this for those who seek Him.
Regardless of the injustice we face in the earth, God is just and good. His word is true and He is faithful to perform His promises. We cannot base our expectation of how God will respond to us by how people treat us. Scripture tells us that the foundation of His throne is righteousness and justice; that He executes justice for the fatherless, the widow, and loves the sojourner; that His work is perfect and all His ways are just; that He is the God of justice and those who wait upon Him are blessed.
When you experience mistreatment, before knocking on the adversary’s door seeking a remedy, wait upon the Lord. Seek Him – His truth, His ways, His justice. God will not forsake you. Cry out to Him in faith. He will hear you and answer. Psalm 103:6 says that the Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. Likewise, God instructs us to learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, and bring justice. How do we do this? By following His lead. With His help, let’s hold fast to love and justice as we wait upon Him. Let’s not just be a witness and a receiver – but also a sharer – of the “how much more” our Father in Heaven has for us.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Maryann
Scripture References: Luke 18:2-8; Matthew 7:7-11, 23:23; Deuteronomy 10:8, 32:4; Psalm 9:7, 10:18, 33:5, 37:6,28, 89:14, 103:6, 140:12, 146:7; Isaiah 1:17, 30:18, 55:11; Hosea 12:6; Micah 6:8; John 17:17; Exodus 22:21-23
