Don't you feel it. The world gives themselves to sex, success, money, appearance, partying while you are alone, and forgotten. They live with no regard for God and others with no obvious consequence. They live off their parents money while you go to work. They live with no real regard for grades, or worse, integrity, obedience to anyone outside of themselves, especially God. The consequence? Nothing!
I see it everyday for downtown is a place of extremes. The young and bright submitting themselves to the rigors of law, or med school, but the poor and overlooked submitting to the hopelessness of their addiction or illiteracy. One seems blessed by their addiction for money and power, and the other cursed. People handing in their marriage for something more exciting, or exercising the privilege of marriage without marrying, while the married struggle to remain so. The rich use their riches to get richer, while the poor are used by their poverty to remain poor. The father leaves for pleasure while the fatherless suffer the consequence of being abandoned. "In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” His ways prosper at all times..."
It is just not fair, nor just. Faith seems to make it all more raw and painful. The bible speaks of God's faithfulness and love, but where is He? "Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" I can feel it, can you?
The psalmist helps us. In the face of injustice he screams, "Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted." It is as if he is reminding God who He is, but the effect is he is reminded of who God is, "The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more."
In the face of injustice and unfairness God is not having an identity crises, we are. He has not forgotten who He is, we have forgotten whose we are. Yet, it is in going to God, nothing nor no one else, that we are reminded that God can be trusted. We are convinced again that He is good and He has a heart full of us. We are reminded that He displayed His love on the cross in that He committed injustice on His Son, the only one undeserving of it, that we might have the injustice of his grace, love, forgiveness, even righteousness.
So, in the face of injustice and unfairness, when you are feeling abandoned and overlooked, go to God. Bring your anger to Him and plead with Him to arise, wake up and do what is right and good. In this you will be assured that you have a Father, you are not fatherless and He cares. However, He must be trusted. Our demands must never become ultimatums upon which our faith rests. For when our demands become ultimatums, we are shaken not Him. He is King and we are not. He rules, and we are under His rule and that is good. One day His rule will be realized, His win will be known and man will not strike terror, jealousy, nor discontentment anymore.
love,
dad
