God is Your Defender

Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
   extol him who rides on the clouds;
   rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
   is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families,
   he leads out the prisoners with singing;
   but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Psalms 68:4-6 NIV

The fatherless, widows, lonely and prisoners, all in need of the love of God. I think this describes a whole lot of people in this world. Maybe you...

Wherever you are at, God is your defender. 

Justice is...

This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.

Zechariah 7:9-10

True justice begins with mercy and compassion. That is why the center of our faith is the redemptive work of Christ upon the cross. In that, the ultimate act of mercy and compassion, true justice was dealt for all of mankind. 

Unless we understand our own incredible need for the mercy and compassion of God in Christ we will look judgmentally down upon those less fortunate than us. The problem with the idea of karma is that people get what they deserve and that's the end of the story. Many Christians get that way with "you reap what you sow" and forget about mercy and compassion. They forget that all have fallen short of the glory of God. None is righteous, no not one. 

So what's the point today? Be merciful and compassionate when seeking justice. When you see that oppressed see them through the eyes of someone who needs God's mercy and compassion. My grandmother used to say (when she saw someone less fortunate than her), "There, but by the grace of God, go I." 

Do You See Justice?

For the earth will be filled with
   the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
   as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:14

The prophet saw the corruption of those in leadership and even in those God was using to punish the leaders in Judah. Justice was perverted and the wicked seemed to go unpunished. God's message was that his justice would come around to them. Rage as they may, their end will come.

If you have ever watched a great fighter matched against a very aggressive opponent you know how this works out. The aggressive fighter seems to be carrying the fight as he strikes with relentless furry. The great fighter dodges, blocks and waits for the opportune moment to counter strike. When he finally delivers a blow it is with awesome force and accuracy and quite often ends the fight quite quickly. 

In a way, God's justice is like that. With relentless rage the enemy of our souls strikes away at our lives and we wonder were God is. The wicked seem to prosper and justice is perverted. Just wait. Their turn is coming and God will be glorified. 

What is our responsibility. To wait on God. To do what we know is right, even though everyone around us is doing what is right in their own eyes. Acknowledge God in all you do. Give God the glory. He will make himself known. 

There is no arguing with a fool

Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,
   for the times are evil. 
Seek good, not evil, that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
   just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good;
   maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy 
   on the remnant of Joseph.
Amos 5:13-15 (NIV)

There's no arguing with a fool. Sometimes you just have to wait things out before it's time to speak or act. A friend of mine once said that people aren't ready to hear something until they're ready to hear it. Love good, do the right thing and hate evil. Be prudent about your words.

BETTER THAN: Psalm 37:16-17

"Better the little that the righteous have
     than the wealth of the may wicked;
 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
     but the LORD upholds the righteous."
     Psalm 37:16-17

Have you ever seen a nature show and one predator makes a kill, only to have another predator higher up on the food chain come and take it away? That is what I think about when I read these verses. The wicked sometimes seem to get everything they want. Now, we may not see the predator of debt or bad business dealings that are actually lurking all around them, but, there is One they completely overlook. He is THE LORD, THE JUDGE and he will hold them accountable. 

The other side is that the Lord, upholds those who rely on him for their very righteousness. I don't know how. I don't know when. I don't know where. I just know that God says he will uphold the righteous. I Corinthians says Christ is my righteousness. Outside of me just trying to be a servant of all I can just get in the way. 

Here in Psalm 37 David assures us that God will allow you to "enjoy green pasture", "will give you the desires of your heart", "make your righteousness shine like the noonday sun", "inherit the land", "enjoy great peace" and uphold you because Christ is your righteousness. 

Father, help us to live by faith with you, day by day, moment by moment. Forgive our moments when we lack of faith. Reveal your faithfulness again to us. Open our eyes to see your faithfulness in our lives. Praise be to you in us today!

IN A LITTLE WHILE: Psalm 37:10-11

"A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
     though you look for them, they will not be found.
 But the meek will inherit the land
     and enjoy great peace." 
 Psalm 37:10-11

No matter how you want to slice it, no matter how you want to count time, in God's eyes the wicked have but a limited amount of time before their time is up. 

I was managing a Mimi's Cafe. John (the name has been changed to protect the guilty), who managed the day shift was, was your basic little punk with a little dog complex. I managed the late shift. One day I noticed he was taking money from my drawer. He said he was just making change. It did explain why my drawer was coming up off my more than it should and his was always right on. I told the General Manager and he just kind of blew me off. The second senior manager found out and told the GM and he listened. John quit because he caught wind they were going to fire him. It took a little while but, John the wicked was no more. 

You may find yourself in a place where the wicked seem to be "getting away with it". God sees. God knows. You are his child. In a little while...

Father, help us to keep out eyes on you ever when the wicked seem to be getting away with all kinds of evil. We place ourselves in your hands. Be glorified in us. Praise be to you in us today!

IN THE END, GOD WINS, WE WIN: Psalm 37:1-2

"Do not fret because of evil men
     or be envious of those who do wrong;
  for like the grass they will soon wither, 
    like green plants they will soon die away." Psalm 37:1-2

As a middle school teacher I see this everyday, all day. The alpha punks rule the yard. They try to intimidate the smaller, less physical students. That all changes after high school. I tell the kids who are "geeks" to just hang in there, because later in life, geeks rule the world. Spiritually speaking, that is what David is telling us. 

The Bible tells us that even though sometimes in this life it looks like evil men get everything they want and enjoy a lot of success, it is all just temporary.  In the telling story of The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) Jesus emphasizes that some may have it all on earth, but in eternity they will just have torment, while others will spend eternity in complete fulfillment. 

So, while we might feel a bit shortchanged in this life, in eternity, we will have all we need and more. All our tears will be wiped away and we will enjoy complete fulfillment for eternity. Remember, God has eternity in store for us. 

Father, help us to rest in you and rely on you, even when life is unfair. Praise be to you in us, today!