4 Reminders to Pray for Justice in a Hurting World

As Christians, we are to leave vengeance to God, but He made us inclined toward action. To say a prayer for justice can feel like inaction, but what if we were granted an audience with the most powerful leader in the community, state, or nation in the face of wrongdoing?  We would go and make our appeal, and it would not feel as if we’d done nothing. When we pray for justice to our Creator God, we are making our case before the Highest Power in the universe.

God calls us to enact justice when it is within our power (Micah 6:8), but the greater injustices are too often outside our human influence to redress. The people of God have suffered injustice throughout their existence. Many Christians around the world are treated unjustly even today because of the name of Jesus. We sometimes suffer daily injustices based on things about us we can’t change or because we encounter others who are largely out for only themselves.  People all around us suffer injustice, whether they follow Jesus or not, and as we witness their pain, we may feel helpless and small, but God has given us an avenue to appeal on their behalf.

Now, it’s true that justice can get confusing on this side of Glory. Our prayers can be muddled in a world with much deception and where people imagine themselves victims with sometimes very little evidence or cause. This is all the more reason to bring these cases before God, as He is perfect, knows all truth, and judges rightly.

Psalm 89:14 says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you” (ESV).

Deuteronomy 32:4 reads, “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he” (ESV).

So, how do we go about praying for justice? What can the Bible tell us about this process?

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