“Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.”
Psalms 98:7-9
“It’s not fair!”
This is the eternal playground cry.
It’s not fair when someone grabs a toy out of our hands.
It’s not fair when someone shoves us or pulls our hair or gets too many turns.
Our sense of justice is instinctual so young. We know as children when things aren’t right. And our hearts need to see justice done.
How ironic, then, when the child yelling about an infraction becomes the offender…
Adults too thirst for justice.
But grown-up troubles aren’t as easily fixed by a teacher’s words. They aren’t always even settled with judicial proceedings in a court of law.
Some offences are done in secret, and in the vault they remain – with the offender unpublishable in this life. Boko Haram. The pillaging and plundering and gross mismanagement of our natural resources. The very vibrant slave trade.
So much pain.
“It’s not fair!”
But there is One who sees it all, friend. No act of violence, no fraudulent practice, no theft of property or dignity has ever been truly done in secret. The Just Judge knows. He counts every tear of the oppressed and treasures every heart that’s been damaged.
All that pain, over so many millennia.
No wonder the entire earth is making noise in this scene described in Psalm 98!
Are you feeling the pinch of injustice?
Does your heart hurt on behalf of others who are unfairly taken advantage of?
Every single infringement is recorded. Every single one will be dealt with wisely and perfectly.
And the rivers and hills will be delighted witnesses.
Imagine…
No more unsolved ‘cold cases files. No more rich and powerful taking advantage of the poor and weak. No more mafia or terrorist organizations that are untouchable by law for lack of witnesses.
Your justice will come.
But it goes both ways!! You can’t thirst for justice for yourself and ignore that of the ones YOU have hurt! How crucial it is for us to keep short accounts with our Maker, to be aware of our own tendency to also be the cause of hurt for others. We need to be ready to back up and apologize and correct our own patterns of behaviour as we wait for that ultimate justice for ourselves.
Justice is coming.
Meanwhile, we have a lot to learn about standing for those who can’t stand for themselves, advocating and fighting for peace, and living humbly, carefully considering those around us as we walk this journey together.
Learn with me as we wait for ultimate justice?
Father, it hurts when our rights and dignity are trampled by others. How good it is to remember that You will repay and punish all offenders against us fairly. But we are also painfully aware that we have the capacity to hurt others – help us to follow Your ways and live in kindness and compassion. Give us the wisdom and power to make things right when we fail. Amen.
Growing in Grace 