(Published as “A Solution for Injustice in the World” in the Hanford Sentinel)
Earlier this week my wife read a Psalm that struck a chord with me. As I listened I thought, “Where has this little gem been hiding away?” As I listened I became convinced that Psalm 37 was written as medicine for souls that have become sickened by injustice in the world. The author promises an ultimate end to injustice that depends solely on God, not on man-made solutions of power or politics.
Psalm 37 says, “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” When David wrote this, he had already experienced his fair share of injustice in life. His nemesis, King Saul, was out to get him. David literally had to go into hiding to stay alive. How did David do it? How did he survive such great persecution and turmoil? God’s word gives us a simple answer. David made his perspective line up with God’s.
Psalm 37 continues, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” A remarkable reality takes shape when we line our thoughts up with God’s thoughts. Our desires become his desires. This is how David could promise that the Lord would give his people the desires of their heart. It was not a promise for revenge or riches. It was a promise for a certain type of desires to be met, the kind that line up with what God desires.
Isn’t it interesting that David’s command to “dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness” comes in the context of him writing about the evil and and imperfections of this world? He didn’t give that command when everything was great and things were running smoothly. He commanded the people of God to stand firm in godliness because that is what God’s perspective requires. He was looking past the turmoil of the times to the days of peace that God will ultimately establish on the earth.
Late in Psalm 37 David wrote, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”
We know God can set all injustice right whenever he wants. We also know his timing is not our timing so he does not have to expedite justice on the earth. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
If God were quick to bring about justice, there would be no hope for any of us. God is patient, and so he gives time for justice to ultimately be accomplished at the end of time. We know from the book of Revelation that there will be a great white throne of judgment where everything will be set straight. No crime will go unpunished. Every wrong will be made right. That will be a frightful and formidable day for those who have not had their sin paid for. But for those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior, it is not a day to fear because every sin they have committed has been paid for by Christ’s death on the cross.
Having God’s perspective is how the author of Psalm 37 was able to end his poem with so much confidence. He wrote, “The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.”
Those who take refuge in God will be able to thrive through the seasons of life. As Psalm 1 says, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” The key question we must ask is this, “Do I have God’s perspective on this situation or not?” One perspective will lead to root rot that will dry out the soul and end in despair, the other will lead to a soul that is content, healthy, and fully dependent on God.
