For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men!
Psalm 9:18-20
There's a lot of talk about "social justice" in the church these days - giving a voice to the marginalized, power to the disempowered, and dignity to the forgotten and poor. I am glad for the talk. It needs to be talked about. It is too easy to sit in the seat of privilege and forget that my experience of being treated in a generally fair way and that all the advantages I don't even notice are not universally experienced.
I am thankful for the promise of these verses. Injustice exists because God's order has been upended and his kingdom rejected. We have rejected God's glory for our own. We have rejected community for competition. We have rejected humble dignity for prideful fear.
As a result, we don't even notice how rich or powerful or advantaged we are. We see what we lack and feel loss when others get more than us (whether possessions or fame or credit or whatever). We forget the needy and only feel our own need. We don't ask about other's hope - we simply focus on gaining our own.
The beauty of God's kingdom is that it reverses the kingdom inversion that took place when mankind rebelled against God. It sets God's glory at the center again and reorients our desires to hunger for what is truly good and lasting and beautiful. We stop using each other and instead love each other. We stop competing and start loving. We are enriched by sharing the riches of the outpouring of God's goodness.
Prayer:
Lord, I confess my own selfish kingdom building. I want my own security and prosperity. I want comfort and influence. I want my own glory. And in the process lose sight of those who are left behind or run over. Increase my love for others and my freedom to give from all you have given me. And, come quickly Lord Jesus - I know at the end of the day, what we need isn't reform, but rebirth. I long for the day you will return and remind us that we are just men and you are God - and how glorious it is to be loved by such a glorious God.
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