Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – April 20, 2019
The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. Psalm 146:7b-9 (NRSV)
One of my favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes is also one of his most well known, and for good reason: “Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Though history has been plagued for countless centuries by violence, oppression, and injustice, we must believe that that which is good and redemptive is greater than that which is broken and distorted. Though it may often feel as though we are moving backwards or stuck in our sin, the Christian vision of the world is one that clings to hope and the unshakable belief that God desires justice and is near to those who suffer and are in pain.
As the psalmist reminds us, the Lord is near to the prisoner, the blind, the orphan, and the widow. Whether your pain is due to poor decisions you’ve made, systemic injustices, physical disabilities, or relational brokenness and loss, the Lord is your source of hope and refuge. There is no pain you can encounter that the Lord does not intimately know. There is no wrong in this world that the Lord does not deeply desire to make right. In the death and resurrection of Jesus we see a God who is willing to take on all that is broken in the world, including death itself, so that he can speak life, hope, and peace.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
While pursuing justice and peace at a global scale may seem overwhelming, for most of us the call on our lives is far more immediate and local. What does it look like to be an instrument of peace in your family, neighborhood, or place of work? How can you become increasingly aware of biases that shape your view of the world? Are there injustices in your own spheres of influence that you can begin working on to move towards greater alignment with God’s kingdom?
Though it may feel small and insignificant, these simple steps of faithful obedience join our lives to the grand story of redemption that the Lord is telling over his creation!
Prayer
Father, give us the courage to enter into places of pain and loss in our own lives and in the lives of others so we can be instruments of your reconciling love. Amen.
Application
What is one step you can take today towards alleviating injustice?
Related Reading
Jeremiah 22:13; Zephaniah 3:5; Romans 9:14
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In the death and resurrection of Jesus we see a God who is wiling to take on all that is broken in the world, including death itself, so that he can speak life, hope, and peace. #wisdomhunters #justice
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