One of the songs in church this morning had the lyric "God of justice and peace" yet when you take a glance around the world, there seems to be so little of both those things.
The righteous, God-fearing people are often poor, sick, oppressed, abused, silenced, marginalised.
The "wicked" (godless, arrogant, foolish, proud, violent, blasphemous, rebellious) people seem to be the ones who have the power, authority, money, comfort, status and health.
If you believe that the life in front of us is all there is, then surely you scoff at the concepts of true justice and peace; they are so far removed from reality so as to be the stuff of mere fairytales?
It takes real faith to believe the opposite - that there is another world to come, and only then will true justice and peace be delivered by God. Humanity is incapable of achieving this on our own. This is foolishness to the wicked, but to anyone who believes in true justice and peace, it's all we have to hold onto.
I keep being brought back to Psalm 73. It is written by a fella named Asaph, who struggles with exactly the same thing - seeing the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer, and wondering about God's "justice."
For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong.
They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty.
These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!
They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others.
They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth.
And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words.
“What does God know?” they ask. “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
Look at these wicked people—enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.
Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.
If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people.
So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!
Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.
When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!
Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.
When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.
I was so foolish and ignorant—I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.
Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.
But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.
I have been guilty of figuratively standing by and laughing while the godless slide down that slippery path over the cliff to destruction. I am a big believer in personal responsibility; that everyone is accountable for their own actions, choices and decisions and that if they end up separated from God after they die, that is their own fault.
This is a wrong attitude. While I might be partly right (ultimately I'm not responsible for anyone's eternal destiny but my own), Christians still need to live lives that reflect God's glory and bring people closer to Him. It's what I am trying to do.
I am thankful to be found in God and I can echo the words of Asaph by saying
"I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.
Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever."
I have been guilty of figuratively standing by and laughing while the godless slide down that slippery path over the cliff to destruction. I am a big believer in personal responsibility; that everyone is accountable for their own actions, choices and decisions and that if they end up separated from God after they die, that is their own fault.
This is a wrong attitude. While I might be partly right (ultimately I'm not responsible for anyone's eternal destiny but my own), Christians still need to live lives that reflect God's glory and bring people closer to Him. It's what I am trying to do.
I am thankful to be found in God and I can echo the words of Asaph by saying
"I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.
Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth.
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever."
As much as this is an unsatisfying conclusion because it takes everything out of our control (and we humans LOVE to be in control):
We can be confident that justice WILL be served by God, but we may have to wait until Jesus returns to see it done.
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