“The Lord is slow to anger and great in power And He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust beneath His feet…The Lord is good, A strength and stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows [He recognizes, cares for, and understands fully] those who take refuge and trust in Him.”
Nahum 1:3, 7 AMP
I recently had a conversation with someone about injustice and our response. Specifically when do we fight and when do we hold our peace? As my husband reminded me, peace can be dependent upon one person, a choice they make consciously to overlook the injustice and forgive, and peace also comes at the end of a war. So what do we do when faced with injustice or when we are witness to it?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Instead, I use the standard interpreter answer: it depends.
Confrontation is not wrong. Assertive communication is not wrong. But neither is it wrong to hold your peace, opting to say and to do nothing.
So what do we do when injustice stares straight at us? Pray, listen, obey, then rest.
Take it first to G-d in prayer. Lay it out before Him. Seek His Word for His wisdom about the situation. Second, we stop and listen for His voice. It’s often the part I rush through or skip altogether. But we lean in and listen. I’ll know it’s His voice when it lines up with His Word and when it brings peace. Then, do what He says. If it’s confront, do so in love. If it’s hold your peace, then hold it. And finally, rest. Rest in knowing that G-d will have His way in the end. He is a just and good God. He will not ignore or excuse injustice. He will avenge in His time. He will make things right in the end. We might not like it, and it might be miserable but in the end, He wins. And the best – and the safest – thing I can do is to get out of His way, honor Him no matter what, and trust His plan.
Pray. Listen. Obey. Rest.
He wins. And He will work out all things for our good.
Father – thank You for Your Word and Your justice. Thank You that You see and care about all the things in my life. Help me to trust You. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: Nahum 1-3
August 4, 2022