A Cry for Justice
Psalm 37:5-6 “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
Social justice is the rallying cry of this generation. And justice is important- we long to see it achieved. Too often we see the results of sin, the miscarriage of justice and we watch as what is right is overlooked, trampled upon and left in a hopeless heap. We see people, image-bearers of God, mistreated, exploited, abused and neglected. It’s grievous. A lack of justice is indicative of great darkness. And we want to see it change.
Yet, the way we go about pursuing justice is often just as broken. Too often we speak as if we know, yet we’re ill informed. We campaign for justice, yet we lack righteousness. We assert authority where we really have none. We cast judgment bue we, ourselves, lack clean hands and a pure heart. Vindication becomes a personal mission and the rallying cry of those who agree with us. Yet, we’re increasingly frustrated because the process seems slow…or immoveable.
What really lacks isn’t more power or funding, it is full reliance on God to accomplish what is His, alone, to do. Does He ask us to stand for what’s right? Of course. But God is a God of order and His order is that first we pursue righteousness. Righteousness and justice go hand in hand. Yet, we seem to skip over that first part because this world screams for the latter far more. Righteousness is disdained.
We need to look at it through the lens of God’s Word vs the world’s angst. God tells us to commit our way to Him. That word ‘commit’ in Hebrew means to roll oneself or to wallow (1). Picture that. If we commit our way to God, we’re not taking the proverbial bull by the horns, we’re surrendering ourselves to God, luxuriating in His will and devoting ourselves entirely to His plan and purpose. It’s not ours to manage, but His, and He is able!
But we don’t just commit. It doesn’t stop there. We also have to trust. We must have confidence and hope that God will accomplish what He promises. It’s not just wishing. It’s a confidence that God will do what He promises. That’s the dynamic duo of effective faith! When we commit and trust, the Lord works in us and through us. Note the order in which He works, though.
First, He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn. Picture the sunrise. Everything is dark, and then that bit of light begins to break on the horizon. EVERYONE sees it because it’s the only light visible in the midst of all the darkness. Think about that. Our righteousness will shine in the darkness to those all around us. It’s not our experience, our credentials, our loud voice…it’s Jesus in us. When there is just one source of light in the darkness, all eyes are drawn to that light. It’s not the volume of our voice that garners attention, but the brightness of our life, surrendered to Christ. We need to allow God to bring our righteousness into the light to combat the darkness.. That is the first step toward effecting change in a dark and unjust world. And He WILL do it. Scripture doesn’t tell us He might or that He’ll consider it. No, He WILL do it.
But that’s not all. If we commit and trust, our righteousness becomes radiant AND the justice of our cause will shine like the noonday sun. Think about the sun at noon. It doesn’t preempt the dawn, but follows in good order.. The sun at noon is at its highest point in the sky offering total sunlight. Because it’s directly overhead, it illuminates everything and shadows are minimal. Don’t we long for the justice of our cause to shine? Don’t we want the least amount of shadow and darkness to inhibit the wheels of justice? And scripture tells us again that God will do it.
First righteousness, then justice. Too often we skip that first part to get to the second. But again, God is a God of order. He needs us to pursue righteousness first and be submitted to Him. It cannot be our agenda, it must be His. Righteousness illuminates truth. Truth supports justice. It is representative of God’s character. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” Psalm 89:14
Let’s change course. Let’s approach a pursuit of justice by first by committing our way to the Lord. We can’t affect real change simply by being passionate. The loudest voice in the room isn’t necessarily the one who makes a difference nor the one who is right. Let's ensure our heart is in step with the Savior and allow Him to bring change. He will do it.
“Father, there is so much in this world that grieves our hearts. I know my (son/daughter) sees it and is frustrated and overwhelmed. Our world pressures us to stand up and shout against injustice. Yet, You call us to first commit our way to You and then trust You to accomplish righteousness in us and justice through us. Lord, I pray that You would work in (name) and help them to understand Your order and what You desire for us. It seems backward us “but God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Cor 1:27 Lord, help us to be weak so that You can be strong in us. Help us to be willing to be ‘foolish’ in the eyes of the world so that we can be wise in the Spirit and effective for Your kingdom. I pray that You would grow (name) in righteousness. Help them to commit and trust and be willing to watch You work according to Your plan and Your will. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”
H1556 - gālal - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1556/kjv/wlc/0-1/
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