Right now, the world is facing an unprecedented crisis as the Covid-19 pandemic is spreading around the world and forcing quarantines and shut downs on a mass scale. Times like these can make the world as we know it feel unstable. Yet, God calls us, His followers, to live in peace and be salt and light in all circumstances. Along with the extraordinary situation the world is facing comes an extraordinary time to grow our faith and shine His light. We, as Justice Collective, wanted to take a moment to look at how we can use the Bible to guide us in praying in a time like this.
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When I first started studying what the Bible said about justice topics, I thought I knew exactly how to find them: search for the word “justice.” But there’s a problem with looking for justice in the New Testament. If you type “justice” into a Bible word search engine, it doesn’t appear much. “Justice” appears only 11 times in the ESV translation, 9 times in the NASB, and 8 times in the NKJV.
It’s hard to see that the New Testament values justice when it seems almost silent on the subject.
In the few instances where the word “justice” appears, the word primarily refers to legal justice, which feels distant from the Hebrew shalom-centered ideas of justice in the Old Testament. Verses like “Mercy triumphs over judgment [krisis]” (James 2:13b), or “Judge [krino] not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1) make it seem like justice and judgment are opposite of mercy and, therefore, don’t belong in the New Testament.
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From the place of intimacy and security, we are invited to join the Bridegroom-King in waging war. Intimacy between heaven and earth creates a courage and power to fight for something. The Warrior King (see Psalm 24:8 & 10), in a state of intimate love, moves out towards darkness, and is moved to do battle with the oppressor.
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I saw him standing on the corner of the narrow downtown San Diego streets from the passenger seat of my friend's enormous white pickup truck. There was something that made that man who calmly stared down an otherwise hectic street that stood out to me. Immediately, I felt like I needed to go offer him socks and a sandwich.
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Earlier this morning I heard the news that ISIS leader Al-Baghdadi was killed in a special ops raid. Probably like most of you my first reaction was relief and excitement.
I’ve spent time in the Middle East with victims of ISIS. I’ve heard firsthand the brutal atrocities of this terror group. I’ve looked into the eyes as mother’s told stories of losing children. I’ve prayed for years that this terrorist group would be stopped.
After my first few minutes of delight in this man’s death I sat down with my Dad to watch a news update. They told the story of Al-Baghdadi taking three of his children with him as he fled and subsequently set off his suicide vest effectively killing him and those kids. When I heard the story it struck different. Tears filled my eyes and I heard Holy Spirit speak to me, “Do you delight in the death of the wicked, because I don’t.”
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Almost 8 years ago, my husband, children, and I left our cozy little town of 500 people in the middle of the Australian bush on an adventure of a lifetime. Well, that's what we told ourselves as we saw a door of opportunity open before us for my husband to work as an Environmental Scientist in the gold mines of Northern Nevada. Into the unknown we jumped with three children and five suitcases, placing our lives into God’s hands.
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Justice Collective would like to introduce one of our volunteers this year- Soraia Correia! She will be managing social media projects this year and contributing to the blog, so we wanted to give her a chance to introduce herself. We are excited to have her on the team!
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