I have struggled to understand in the past year how unrighteousness can be allowed to continue in my life. Many people struggle with this as they see suffering in the world. The idea of theodicy can be a personal question or a rather general one. Being a Calvinist and believing in God’s sovereignty, I rarely have trouble with this question one way or another. But as I have experienced injustice first hand it has become a more difficult one to find the answer to. It is not that I question God’s sovereignty; it is that I give myself a greater role in His plan than I should.
My instincts are to fight and battle against injustice, unrighteousness and whatever I see wrong in the world. Often times I can easily forget that it is not my war, it is God’s – that vengeance is not mine but His.
Ecclesiastes 7:15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
Fortunately despite the events of this past year, God has been showing me in His word that I must rely on Him. That I can’t fight every battle on my own and just because something is wrong, doesn’t mean that we will see justice prevail in that situation. He does remind us of the eternal unrest of the truly wicked (Isaiah 57:20-21) and His ultimate justice is seen through His perspective on history, not necessarily ours.
As we struggle through these situations in our lives it is easy to not only forget whose war it really is, but also who the true enemy is that we battle.
The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken SandeSatan prefers that we do not recognize his role in our conflicts. As long as we see other people as our only adversaries and focus our attacks on them, we will give no thought to guarding against our most dangerous enemy. Both James and Peter were aware of this danger, and they warn us to actively resist Satan's schemes (James 4:7; I Peter 5:8-9). Paul gives a similar warning, reminding us that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12).
This is so important to remember, as it is so easy to vilify those that we disagree with. It is for the sovereign ruler alone to sort out the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). He knows the righteous and recognizes the wicked when He sees them and He calls us all to humble reliance on His victory and glory.
Posted by price at August 16, 2006 03:36 PM | TrackBackWelcome back to the blogosphere. This is such a good post.
To be honest, I've never thought of the battle as being against Satan when I'm dealing with injustices, etc. And like you, I often forget that it's God's battle. I forge ahead oblivious to the fact that I alone cannot change someone's heart, and in the end, I feel defeated because the injustice or wrong wasn't cured in my timeframe and according to my plans. So your post is a welcome reminder that God is sovereign and that I should seek His will and guidance in these battles, remembering that it's not my battle and that the enemy is really Satan.
Posted by: Ally at August 18, 2006 09:43 AMIt certainly takes some of the pressure off knowing its His battle, doesn't it?!
Posted by: Jeff Price at August 18, 2006 01:27 PMAnd there in lies the possibility to just be the Man you need and want to be. To completley let go, and live your life as best you can.
Posted by: west at August 23, 2006 12:45 PM