Serving Justice

A Series on the Psalms – a collection of prayers
Feeling wronged
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 35 

[Life is full of emotions. The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers that express our emotions which are the cry of our soul for hope. In this series, we will be looking in the mirror of the Psalms, to learn more about ourselves and our Lord.]

  

The summer after I graduated from high school, I had a job at a Jerry’s Restaurant as the bus boy and dishwasher for the evening shift. There were probably twenty-five tables and I kept all of them bussed and all the dishes washed, even during the dinner rush. Basically, I did the job of two people for the lofty wage of $.88 per hour.

 

At the end of the summer on a Friday night, the general manager invited the local high school football team to the restaurant for a steak dinner after their game. This was the first time that I’d seen him all summer. As far as I knew, he didn’t do any work at the restaurant.

 

While we were waiting for the team to arrive, I made some small talk to him. He turned and looked at me and said, “You know, if you worked as good as you talked, you’d be a good worker.” I wanted to walk out of the restaurant right then! Let him clean the tables and dishes! Justice would be served.

 

The feeling of being wronged has been around since Adam and Eve. Although there are certainly times when a person is unjustly wronged, it’s very easy to slip into a mindset of mistreatment. Then the natural reaction of feeling victimized leads to rationalizing and justifying and seeking our own justice.

 

However, that was not the case for David. Even though he was being pursued by Saul and his army who were trying to unjustly kill him, David did not respond with the intent of retaliating to enforce his own justice. Instead, he cried out to the Lord and expressed his faith and desire for God’s justice to be served.

 

¹⁷ How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?
    Rescue me from their fierce attacks.
    Protect my life from these lions!
¹⁸ Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly.
    I will praise you before all the people.            NLT

 

The easiest thing to do when we feel like we’ve been wronged, is to lash out; to make somebody else pay; to serve justice as we see fit. For me, the easiest thing to do would’ve been to walk out of the restaurant just to spite the pompous general manager. But that isn’t the example that we’ve been given.

 

²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.

²² “He committed no sin,
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.           NIV    1 Peter 2

 

“He entrusted himself to him who judges justly”.

 

This is the standard that we’ve been called to follow. It’s not easy. But if we do follow it, we will have taken a huge step towards loving God and serving justice.

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Hit by a Truck

A series on the Psalms - the voice of emotions
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
When you’re feeling fearful.
Psalm 91 

[Life is filled with emotions… anger and love; fear and courage; anxiety and peace. The Book of Psalms is also filled with emotions. They help us to validate our feelings and understand ourselves better; to grow in our faith and our relationship with Jesus; to understand the character of our Lord and how He works in our life.]

 

The definition of surreal is, “an event that seems strange; not real; like a dream”. Have you ever had something happen to you that felt surreal?

 

Recently while on vacation, I was walking to a water park with my daughter and three grandchildren. As we crossed the street, there was a shuttle bus blocking our view of oncoming traffic. In his excitement, my nine year old grandson ran ahead of us and was hit by a pickup truck. It was terrifying! It happened so quick that it felt totally surreal.

 

In a split second, my daughter was at her son’s side, followed by a stranger who identified himself as a retired policeman and EMT. He immediately took charge of the situation, holding Beckett’s head and neck in place; asking for a blanket from the crowd that had gathered; and then for an umbrella, as it started to rain.

 

The author of Psalm 91 may very well have gone through many terrifying experiences that were also surreal. He wrote about “terrors of the night, arrows in the day, disease that stalks in darkness and disaster that strikes at midday”.

 

But he also wrote about the presence of the Lord during those difficult and terrifying times.

 

^2b He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.         NLT

 

As Beckett lay on the pavement, he never lost consciousness and was talking. He asked if he was going to die; if he would be able to play soccer again. Thankfully, the retired policeman just happened to be there. He came out of nowhere. And afterwards, he disappeared without a word.

 

Maybe that’s what the psalmist had in mind when he wrote these words.

 

¹¹ For he will order his angels
    to protect you wherever you go.
¹² They will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. NLT

 

After being released from the hospital with a couple of bumps and bruises, Beckett said that he wanted to have a t-shirt made that said, “I was hit by a truck”. But in the ambulance, on the way to the hospital, he and his Mom prayed passionately.

 

The Psalmist wrote about fear. But he also wrote about the faithfulness of the Lord, including this promise which not only applies to Beckett, but to you and me.

 

¹⁴ The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
    I will protect those who trust in my name.
¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer;
    I will be with them in trouble.
    I will rescue and honor them.
¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life
    and give them my salvation.”               NLT

Copyright 2023 Joseph B Williams

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com