THE GOD OF JUSTICE

"Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
He upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked He brings to ruin." (Psalm 146:5-9)

So many of the Psalms focus on the majesty of God, on God's power and might. But here, the Psalmist praises God's care for the poor, God's justice on behalf of the oppressed. The God celebrated here is not removed from human suffering. This God is intimately connected with the people God made. This is the God who feeds the hungry and sets free the imprisoned. This God, the God who created the expanses of the heavens and the depths of the sea, cares for the hurting and the lost. This is the God in whose image we are made.

Merciful God, You are Lord of the universe and yet You care for the poorest among us. You see those who are hurting. You bring hope to those who lost hope long ago. Because of our connecting to one another, when one of us suffers, we all suffer. Help us restore humanity by caring for those who are in pain. Give us eyes to see. Make us people of justice.

-- Carla Barnhill in The Green Bible Devotional


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