every single injustice.

a few weeks ago rick talked about justice in his sermon. he also talked about mercy and grace, and a whole host of other things, but much of it hinged on justice.

in said sermon he also reminded me of something i knew, but had forgotten. God hears the cries of every injustice. every. single. one. he hears the cries of the hearts of his creation. 

every one of us calls out to him for justice. the blood of abel cried out from the ground. God hears us. 

it is awe-inspiring, and somewhat haunting. think of the sheer amount of injustice in the world. our God lives in the midst of that cacophony constantly. crying out to him. begging for justice. begging to be made right.

our heavenly father is the only one who can judge, and he will judge one day - sooner or later.

but the easiest thing to do upon recognizing injustice is to put our own selves in the seat of the judge. i do this far too often. i put on my judicial robe, and pick up my gavel, and i get all confused about my place in the world. no, NO. God will judge. not me.

and while i pray for those who are hurting, for those who are in situations so horrific and unbelievable that i don't even like to think about them, i'm also called to act sometimes. to put my money where my mouth is, so-to-speak. but that's not really what i want to get at right now. because we all know that already, and we're hopefully acting on it already.

what i really want to get at is something else rick mentioned during his sermon. do you pray for the people responsible for the horrific situations?

do you pray for not just the prostitutes, but for the pimps, and the clients? for the slaves AND the slave-owners? for the gang leaders? for the drug dealers? for the people committing the unspeakable acts? 

do i pray for the serial killers? for the murderers? for the rapists?

do i recognize that no one, NO ONE, is beyond God's reach? that God is big enough to reach and transform anyone. that no one is ever too far gone for him. he will go to the ends of the earth to rescue one lost sheep. do i recognize that "there but for the grace of God, go i?"

and that is where the mercy and the grace come into play. it comes through redemption, through the only one who can redeem.

i am so thankful that God is a just God who hears all of the injustices in the world. i am thankful he saved a wretch like me. and i am thankful that he can use anyone, no matter what.   no. matter. what.

xo,

katie