Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
When the news of the Boston Marathon bombings hit, I wish I could say that I had the naive thought that it have been some sort of horrible accident....my jaded heart was wise to what had just happened.
We all have different reactions in times of crisis. Some immediately drop to their knees and pray for those afflicted, some simply go numb and wait for the shock to wear off. I become filled with anger. The Bible tells us there are 2 types of anger. One is a selfish anger, where we expect to be treated in certain ways and become angry from selfish reasons. The other is righteous anger, where our soul rips to shreds at the thought, site or sound on injustice. There are times when the shreds of my soul feel as though they may never find their way back...
I am a very passionate person. It makes me think I could be Italian, but that's not the point :) I am either going 120 MPH or at a stand still (more than most likely a stand off). I have had to learn to bite my tongue on many occasions and often fail to do so. When something needs to be done, I tend tomp into the "doing" before having thought out how I could even offer more time, money or skills. My schedule reflects my tendencies for sure: I always find myself over booked and overwhelmed. Perhaps this keeps my running hot too.
Injustice ignites an even brighter fire in my already blazing furnace. My skin will get red when I hear of parents selling their children for cigarettes and booze. I start tosweat when I see images of total devastation in a time that should be joyful. Yes, I root for the good guy in movies, but I root for him to utterly kill and destroy the bad guy. I often joke that if they made an assassination ministry I would be the first to sign up. My soul doesn't weep bitterly over injustice, it burns in all consuming flames. The problem is that if I do not watch my reactions, I can burn myself and those around me in pursuit of what is not rightfully mine.
God is a God of justice. He is not unaware of the epic sins and utter indignities that plague the Earth in these days. Heaven was not consumed with fear when the bombs went off and angels did not flee in terror of a terrorist. God stood. He saw. And for those who say He did nothing, watch the people who flooded the scene to help. He sent His best comforters to help those who had lost everything. He sent warriors to fight off the anxiety and worry that a foolish person thought could so easily be inflicted. Where do we turn when all goes dark? Turn your heads to the Light that can break through any darkness. Friends, the world is a wicked place. It always has been. The biggest part of the problem is that we turn to the Light ONLY when darkness has already taken full root upon our land...
Justice. We all deserve it right? There is none over another here and we all suffer from deeply ingrained thoughts, sins and actions that should lead us strait to an eternity separated from God. But we have been offered a gift: the blood of a Son, a sacrifice for our own wicked deeds. We accept this gift and more are opened to us. We have hope, a future, mercy, love, grace, forgiveness...and I believe we are also allotted understanding. I cannot explain the entirety of the foul thoughts that play in a persons mind when they seek to kill others...but I do know that it is not my job to fix it. I am not the justice giver. I must realize that as much as I long to make the appointment for others to have their judgement, I must wait in faith with the understanding that God is not simply doing nothing. Justice will fall. It will fall swiftly in His time, not mine.
I invite you to offer a prayer today. Father, I pray Your comfort over those who have lost so much. I pray that You will turn this nation to You. Lord, lead others to hope. May we all rest in the knowing that You are the same God who moves mountains, parts waters, wakes the dead and causes the blind to see! You are not a God of inaction and You are not pleased with the state of this world. Draw Your children closer to You today. Grant us boldness that we would rise up against the powers that try to hold us down. Awaken Your warriors Lord. May we set aside our concerns of comfort and move forward into the face of those who defy Your name. Our God is alive, He is angered, and He will judge righteously. In Jesus Name, Amen
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