The apostle Paul
told the Romans,
“Don’t be defeated by what is wrong, but defeat
what is wrong with what is good.”
— Romans 12:21 (USC)
FAITH at its best is courageous. It will do what it knows is
best without making excuses for fear or indifference. Faith when it’s
courageous is justice; it’s ready with feet poised for whatever action needs to
be taken. But faith is also wisdom to know that “‘Vengeance is Mine!’ says the Lord.”
God is bringing about justice even as we stew in the juices of
our private moments of execration. Even as we bellow from the depths of our
being, silently, a soul trembling for its integrity, God is preparing us for
that moment when all will be seen for what it’s becoming.
And we can act. We are not useless in the meantime. There is a
thing God will have us do. But it’s counter to the world’s way. Faith will see
it instituted with pleasure. You’ll see.
We are not to deny our hurts and run from them; but to face them
brings us, with intimacy, to those things we most dislike about ourselves — our
anger and our cowardice.
We will have to face these two truths if we are to fight the
good fight.
If we have no fear — for what, truly, is there to lose? — we have
acquired love. And, glory to God, there’s no turning back!
If we have no fear, we welcome the truth. Some ‘truth’ we may
yet to hear. But truth is purposed for our growth, so why should we ever fear
it. Even when another’s truth is not the full truth we can handle it.
We’re not fighting their
evil; we are fighting evil itself
with God’s unfailing goodness.
This is less about our adversary than it is about who they are
an agent for: Satan himself. There is only one way to beat Satan: as Jesus did,
we are to die to ourselves.
To die to ourselves brings utter shame on evil. Even evil cannot
stand in the face of such exposure. It may appear to, but the death of evil isn’t
tarrying!
Wrongdoing is destined for judgment as surely as goodness is
never out of the hands of God. Can there by anything more certain? Reflection
over such matters will bring to us an undivided confidence in God’s providence
means. And God’s means always have just ends!
***
Wrongdoing cannot stand before
goodness. Trust God, but do not think of justice coming in linear terms through
time.
Justice comes with perfection on an
eternal scale.
Do good. That is how you will
overcome the wrongdoing done against you.
Justice comes.
© 2015 S. J. Wickham.
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