Humanitarian crises rage throughout our world. The history of our planet is strewn with a shockingly long list of corrupt people who instigate police brutality, civil war, ethnic strife, religious persecution and economic oppression. Devastated communities and family members are left to sorrowfully bury the dead, as well as tend to the needs of the maimed, the orphaned, the widowed and the childless.
How do we respond to such atrocities? As one who has lived the entirety of life in communities sheltered from the harsh realities of injustice and oppression, it’s not an easy question to answer. Most all of us feel rather powerless to offer anything remotely helpful in the face of such blatant evil.
Is there anything we can do?
Psalm 58 (as well as many others) offers us at least one positive option: to pray for God’s justice to be seen and experienced by those who face oppression and injustice. The writer of this Psalm graphically calls for the full force of God’s retribution to crush those who perpetuate evil in our world. The cries for fierce vengeance may shock us—until we consider the depth of emotion for those who have endured such inhumane treatment.
Is this Psalm (and others like it) in direct conflict with Jesus’ command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? No, as we can simultaneously pray for the courage to love our enemies as we continue to pray for God’s justice to overpower all human brutality.
Today let’s pray for those in our world who face oppression and injustice—that God would act quickly and mightily on their behalf. In doing so, we’re also asking God to create in us a renewed compassion and commitment to those whose struggles go far beyond our own.
Kevin
enCompass Church
Voices of enCompass 