When Life Feels Overwhelming

“When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.” (Isaiah 43:2)

Have you ever felt that you just couldn’t handle one more crisis today?  Have you ever wondered how you will get through the next several days, weeks, or months?

God knows the struggles of His people.  Through Isaiah, God assured Israel that He had not forgotten them, even though they were oppressed in exile.  

God reminded them of His power in the past, and God pointed to His sure presence for the future.  The Red Sea had not swept over them as they left Egypt (See Exodus 14), and in Babylon a fiery furnace could not burn Daniel’s friends. (See Daniel 3)  God promised, “You are mine,” and “I will be with you.”

The comfort in this passage is that God never lets go as we face all kinds of dangers and struggles, and this is for God’s people both as a group and as individuals.  Nothing can destroy the people whom God has called, so we need not be afraid.

In the summer of 2002, while serving as a church planter in Alaska, I was surprised by a diagnosis of Laryngeal cancer.  Shortly after that I was devastated by the death of both my parents about two weeks apart.  Finally, in September of that year, my grandmother passed away just a couple months short of her 102nd birthday.  For a while it felt as though the waves of grief were too big to handle. But God did not allow me to be overwhelmed or burned up.

Whatever you’re facing today, stop and pray that God would lead you to the rock. Don’t get caught up in all the bad news to the point that you forget where your faith lies.  As Peter was sinking during the storm, after having walked on water, he called out, “Lord, save me!”  In Matthew 14:31, the Bible says, “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.”  The storm didn’t stop immediately, but that didn’t matter because Peter held the hand of the one whom the wind and seas obey. 

If you’re overwhelmed today, call out to Him and take His hand.

Doing Right in Our Own Eyes

“All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.” Proverbs 21:2)

Those that ridicule and rebel against God and His commandments often have their own opinions and philosophy how society should be run.  They believe they know better than God.

All their attempts for living the way they imagine are a waste of time and are valueless.  Their plans will not work out the way they think they should. The Creator of man knows what works and His way is always right.

Government leaders and politicians often conspire together to force their plans on people.  Much of the time their schemes and leadership are directly in rebellion against God and His commandments. 

Despite how overpowering and controlling their grasp can be, we must not allow them to control people.  When they desire to have us in direct rebellion against our Creator’s will and way they should be opposed.  In many countries, they can be voted out of their reign of godlessness.

We see this often in today’s governments.  Laws are made to permit man to do things God hates and commands us not to do.  Abortion of unborn children has been legalized.  Homosexuality is encouraged and taught as an acceptable practice.  Welfare supports those that are not willing to even work.  Dishonesty and other biblically commanded morals are often not looked down upon and are not criticized.  God’s way is so often ignored.

God is not blind to government’s influence and power over the people.  He laughs at their attempts to oppose His way.  Their plans and schemes will fail, and He knows this.  As misleading and clever as the perverters of God’s way are, they will not get away with their rebellion.  One day God’s wrath will fall upon them.

Isaiah 5:20, 24 reminds us, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter….Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.”

These Old Testament promises are relevant today.  Many leaders and politicians think they are above being exposed to what they really are trying to do.  However, if one is patient, their sin will be seen and they will reap the consequences for their rebellion against God’s way.  Sin flourishes and always has unwanted wages.  Unfortunately, so many suffer because of their sin.

Most people live by their own rules, instead of living by God's rules found in the Bible. Some people even corrupt the meaning of the Scriptures in an attempt to justify their wickedness (See Romans 1:25), whether it be a divorce or an abortion.

But only God has the right to decide what is good and evil.

Biblical Justice vs Social Justice: Is There a Difference?

The concept of justice has filled thousands of volumes over the centuries.  It would be foolish of me to attempt to cover this rather detailed and complex subject as it requires.   Selling a human being, abusing a child, or stealing from a little old lady, most of us, would agree that using force or fraud to exploit others is evil.  We carry within us an inherent sense of right and wrong, a conviction that oppressors should be punished and the weak protected.  We want justice.

Justice in its simplest form, means to set things right.  Yet, how do we know what is right?  Who defines “right”?  Is it society-at-large or the culture we live in?  Is there a moral law that we inherently know to follow?

As we look at the life of Jesus and the instructions given throughout Scripture, it is clear that Christ followers are called to, “…learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17) We are called to take action and confront evil, to care for the vulnerable and to make right that which is wrong.  This mandate is not new.  It is not a cultural fad or something that is simply a tendency in today’s society.

Throughout the Old and New Testament, our call to do justice is clear:

“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute…” (Psalm 82:3)

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others…” (Luke 11:42)

Social justice is a common term used today.  A brief online search will discover varying definitions about what it means.  One definition says social justice is, “promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity.” [1] On one hand that sounds fine, but looking deeper, it is rather vague and can lead to many different conclusions about what justice really looks like.

In contrast to social justice, which focuses on a historical view of addressing injustices in society, biblical justice starts with the eternal in mind.  It starts by seeing people as God sees them, recognizing that we are all created in the image of God.  And it is incumbent upon Christ followers to pursue physical and spiritual freedom for the oppressed so others can also become what God created them to be. If we have experienced freedom, how can we not pursue freedom on behalf of others?

As the Church, we may partner with those doing the work of social justice in our communities, but let us not be confused about our ultimate mission.  Our mission is not about picking up another cause because it sounds appealing and makes us look good.  Our mission is about fully embracing the cause of Christ.  The end goal of biblical justice is seeing lives reconciled to God and eternally transformed.

One day there will be perfect justice, carried out by a perfectly holy and just God. In the meantime, evil is pervasive throughout our world.  Women and children are sold into sex slavery.  The poor are beaten and forced to work with little, if any, pay.  Human trafficking or modern-day slavery continues in every country today. There are more than 35 million slaves in the world today, more than at any other time in history. [2]

Can we, the Church, lead the way and pursue justice on behalf of the oppressed, the widow, the orphan, and the enslaved?  If we know the One who is completely just, should we not lead the charge?  I say, YES!

Fueled by the compassion of Christ, we engage in issues of injustice, protecting the vulnerable, fighting for those held in oppression, walking alongside the wounded and pointing them to the One who heals, restores and redeems.

Pursuing justice starts and continues with a foundation of prayer, because we know it is His battle not our own.  It involves time and sacrifice, and stepping out of our comfort zone and persevering with patience.  It means walking in wisdom and not jumping in haphazardly or foolishly.  Our just God leads and we follow as He empowers us through the Holy Spirit.

True justice is best understood in the context of the redemptive work of Christ.  He freed us from the bonds of sin and elevated us into the heavenly realm where our fellowship is with the Lord, and His love and grace can in turn flow through us to others.  Therefore, the proper manifestation of the love of Christ and his followers is to love God first (See Matthew 22:37), and then to follow that with loving our neighbors as ourselves. (See Matthew 22:39)

This means we are not to oppress, but to help.  We are to seek justice for all and equality of opportunity by which those who are gifted of God in different ways, may use their gifts in expanding the kingdom of God.  But for those who do not know Him, even then the grace of God shines upon them. (See Matthew 5:43-48)  

As Christians we are to glorify God by providing biblical justice to all people.  So, let’s go and let’s engage in the fight for biblical justice!

[1] https://charterforcompassion.org/partners/social-justice

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/17/modern-slavery-35-million-people-walk-free-foundation-report