God's Call for Justice
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Isaiah 42:4, Luke 4:14-20, Amos 5:24
4 He won't quit or give up until he brings justice everywhere on earth, and people in foreign nations long for his teaching.
Isaiah 42:4
14 Jesus returned to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. News about him spread everywhere. 15 He taught in the Jewish synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, 17 he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read, 18 “The Lord's Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, 19 and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’ ” 20 Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue looked straight at Jesus.
Luke 4:14-20
Memory Verse
Isaiah 58:6-7
6 I'll tell you what it really means to worship the Lord. Remove the chains of prisoners who are bound unjustly. Free those who are abused! 7 Share your food with everyone who is hungry; share your home with the poor and homeless. Give clothes to those in need; don't turn away your relatives.
“I’m ready!” Michael called from the front door. Michael and his family were about to do something he’d only ever seen in history books: march peacefully through their community in protest. Two days earlier, they'd watched on television as an African American man, named George Floyd, died while being forcefully restrained by the police. He had been accused of trying to steal from a store. Tears streamed down Michael's mother’s face. His father’s normally soft green eyes glared with hard flecks of anger. Michael felt like he should do something to help. The family agreed that participating in a peaceful protest would be a good start.
Michael recognized injustice and wanted to speak out against that wrong. God saw injustice and raised a protest of his own through the prophet Isaiah. He commanded Isaiah to tell the people of Israel to stop doing things that only appeared good and start doing things that really were good, like protecting the unprotected, giving to the poor, and feeding the hungry. The Israelites looked good at worship services and made a show of bringing offerings. But they failed at making a difference in the lives of those who needed it most. God spoke out against their wrong. He protested to help the Israelites make a change!
Does God want you to protest wrongdoing? The answer is yes. Do you have to march in a protest? Not necessarily. Christians like you and me can respond to injustices in many ways. You can make yard signs or use sidewalk chalk that publicly express your concerns. You can speak up when others are being treated unfairly. Most importantly, you can make friends with kids with different skin colors and cultural backgrounds. Will you join God in his call for justice?
Prayer
Dear God, help me to be willing to protest against the things that you protest against. Please give me courage as I stand up for what is right. Amen.Related Resources
Brenda M. Croston
Brenda M. Croston serves as the women's ministry leader at Mt. Gilead Missionary Baptist Church, Nashville TN. She is privileged to enjoy life with Mark. Together they have four adult children and two beautiful granddaughters.