WATCHWORD:
3 “My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me. 4 I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam. 5 My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.” 6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:3-8
Meditation:
What If…? Again
A recent Watchword devotional was built around the rather frivolous idea of What If…, a kind of fantasy which oftentimes advances a story or other forms of narrative. If we incorporate reality into the what if…, it leads us to What’s next…? Think about it, what if dinosaurs really returned and they were friendly as golden retrievers and did our bidding? Would that not set up an array of story lines about what is next? Think cleaning up their droppings in the backyard! I know that’s a ridiculous assumption but, if what if… were true, then what, in your imagination, would follow?
Over these nearly five years of Watchwords, the devotionals were written with careful intent to avoid commenting on politics, in any way. However, sometimes it is not possible to totally avoid a political slant when the Lord is nudging us in a direction. Think about it. In the book of Micah we read, “What does the Lord require of us? To act justly, Love mercy, and walk humbly with God.” Love mercy and walk humbly with God is what our Lord wants from us.
We could make a strong argument to act justly requires enforcing the law – justice. That would be logical. Years ago I read John Grisham’s book A Time for Mercy. You could read about half the book and could see where the story is headed, and the engaging way Grisham brings the book to a close — with mercy.
In a recent Our Daily Bread devotional, we were reminded how nearly thirty-one years ago South Africa made the transition from a government based on imposing racial segregation (apartheid) to a democracy, and chose the difficult path of pursuing truth, justice and mercy. Desmond Tutu worked hard to successfully remove vengeance from the path of restoration.
I believe that our country, grounded in democracy, is a great experiment led by God. Throughout most of our history we believed In God we trust, and we have trusted Him. But now I wonder if acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God is getting lost in the chaos that is currently surrounding us, which seems to be flavored with anger on all sides. I wonder what’s next? Do we act with revenge, enforcing the law with cruelty and harshness? Teach them a lesson? Do we no longer love mercy and, therefore, no longer embrace mercy? And, when did we begin to live as if walking humbly with God was a weakness?
I do wonder about what’s next? What is down this road that we are on? I sense that there is a turn coming. What will we discover when we can see beyond the present crisis? Many of us are at that stage of life where it seems we can do nothing about what is happening other than observe, with fear and anxiety. Yes, we talk to one another, and the spend time in prayer. Maybe we try to communicate with our representatives. It seems to us that our voice does not carry very far, and, that common sense is in short supply.
But, I wonder, have we, too, forgotten an important element: In God we trust. Do we? Do we really trust God? Let us think and pray about that. Is it so hard to act justly, love mercy and renew our humble trust in God? I don’t believe so. Let us remember that anything is possible with God. Keep talking to Him. Keep listening to His Word. Amen.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, the pain of injustice is all around us and it seems we are drawn more toward revenge than mercy, toward meeting injustice with more injustice, which just compounds the problem. The scriptures tell us that you desire justice that is marked by mercy and redemption. Help us to see injustice through your eyes and teach us your way of justice that leads to reconciliation and true healing. Thank you, Father, it’s in Jesus name that we pray. Amen.
