Justice for…
Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times! Psalm 106:3 (ESV)
God has been teaching me a lesson about justice. I am still not sure that I can provide you with an adequate definition of this noun. I used to think it was an eye for an eye. Then it was this: you get what you deserve followed by what goes around comes around.
Justice remains a bit of a mystery but it has evolved into something bigger for me. It means turning over an ugly situation and placing it in His hands without trying to tell Him how I think things should be done. Justice means accepting the recompense that the Father has decided without whining and grumbling about different versions of fairness.
There are days when I can rejoice over paybacks but then I am reminded to pray for this person and to love them regardless of wrongdoing.
Every day I pray for justice for so-and-so and now I just leave my request there and move on.
As human beings, we want revenge for all the mean, nasty things that have been said and done. We want to make that person feel the same way we felt when they unloaded on us. God’s Word tells us: Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good (Romans 12:19-21, NLT).
At some point we must let go of our human ideas of justice. (Although there are times when I can come up with some pretty creative schemes.) Emotion Alert: If we don’t let go and let God deal with it, it could become a knotted ball of anger that has the potential to destroy us from the inside out.
Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble (Proverbs 24:17, NLT). Well friends, I must not be a fast learner because I still want to push them down. I know I am not alone on this.
We can all try again tomorrow.
Loving Jesus, thank You for not giving me what I deserve. Help me to be willing to put justice in Your hands. AMEN.