Published 8/27/19
Read Job 24:23-24 (NLT)
"They may be allowed to live in security, but God is always watching them. And though they are great now, in a moment they will be gone like all others, cut off like heads of grain."
Reflect
• How do you keep from being discouraged when evil goes unpunished?
• Healing is difficult when evildoers seem secure in their evil. Are you able to release these issues to God? Why or why not? (Please explain.)
• As Christ-followers, we know their security is illusive and God ultimately will right the wrongs. In the meantime, what are some steps you can take to work through these situations?
Nearly everyone, no matter what his or her religion, agrees that there is evil in this world. Some acts of evil, from the Holocaust to the killing fields of Cambodia to the genocide in Darfur, are so extensive and shocking that they produce a public outcry and become a major part of history. Countless other evil acts are against individuals, causing physical, psychological, and spiritual damage.
Healing the wounds in the aftermath of these evil acts becomes all the more difficult when it seems that the evildoer has "gotten away with it." The pain they have caused appears to have no effect on them at all. In fact, by all accounts, they are content and secure, not concerned in the least with the consequences of their actions.
Job reminds us that the security of the evildoer is in fact a delusion. Ultimately the evildoer will face the consequences of choosing not to follow God.
Remembering that actions in this world have consequences in the next provides comfort for believers. It does not, however, excuse us from fighting for the poor, oppressed, and victimized now. As Christ followers, we are Jesus' hands and feet on earth. We are to speak for the voiceless and seek justice for the oppressed (see, for example, Proverbs 31:8-9; Isaiah 1:17).
Advances in communication and technology provide more tools than ever for these tasks. Through the media, Internet, and watch groups such as Open Doors USA, we can learn what is happening in other parts of the world, pray for those affected, and urge authorities to take action. Closer to home, we can get involved in a variety of advocacy groups that help the poor, orphans, or victims of violence.
Actions such as these show others that we care for them and so does our Father in heaven. As we focus on helping others, we are helped to overcome our own pain. It helps us to actively wait for the Lord, remembering that He will one day put to right all that is wrong. As Psalm 37:10-11 (ESV) says, "In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace."
Pray
Lord, thank you for your love, mercy, and healing. Help me to remember that the world I see around me is not all there is. Amen