All of us have the opportunity to talk with people who are hurting. When you find someone who has suffered an injustice, however, that’s a bit of a different category. It’s not enough to say to some people, “Everything will be all right.” There are times when you need to say something like, “You’re right. The things that were done to you were wrong.” People need to know that others know there is such a thing as injustice.
We looked at Psalm 139 together recently at Kingsland Baptist Church. This is a powerful passage wherein the Psalmist cries for justice. It’s a legitimate cry, and we shouldn’t grow so morally weak that we can’t feel his longing anymore.
We tend to dismiss such feelings with clichés like “everyone’s a sinner,” or “love the sinner, hate the sin.” Those are true sayings, but evil ought to bother us. We ought to be able to cry out with the saints beneath the altar, “How long, O Lord?” (Revelation 6:10)
May we be a people who reach out to those who are hurting. May we be a people who let them know that the God who revealed himself through Jesus Christ is a God who takes seriously the hurts, the wounds, and the injustices of this life. He will one day create a new heaven and a new earth, and he will judge the earth. In the midst of wrath, he will remember mercy. Our work here and now is to live out the truth, the justice, and the mercies of God, revealed through Jesus Christ.