“Thus says the LORD:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed.”
Isaiah 56:1
What does it mean to “maintain justice and do what is right?” This is the question that arises for me, when I read this passage from the Prophet Isaiah. Coming from a time when the people of Israel were finding their way after being in exile, they were seeking to re-discover what it meant to be together again. To be back in their land, able to freely worship together. In the midst of this, the Prophet Isaiah sought to bring them life-giving words of faith from God. Which leads us to the scripture passage I just shared with you. Justice is a big theme, not just in Isaiah but amongst the other prophets as well, as they speak of God’s vision of life together. A message which rings true for us today as well. Throughout time, God has desired justice to reign within our hearts and in our communities. God has called on us to “maintain justice and do what is right” as people of faith. Yet we don’t always live into this. It’s difficult to know what is right sometimes. And fighting for justice is a scary task. It means taking a risk. Sometimes it means holding a very unpopular view. And it also means standing beside those who are most vulnerable, especially when others are turning away. Right now, justice has become a hot button issue in our world. Now, more than ever, people are speaking up about injustices and inequalities within our society. And people are doing it in a way that can’t be ignored. Which is scary. It’s not easy to face the truths being spoken to us. Especially when those truths make us feel uncomfortable or even make us question our own actions. Because looking within is tough, especially when it means admitting mistakes, or recognizing the harm we may have caused. Yet this is a part of what it means to maintain justice. We cannot maintain justice if we aren’t willing to hear the voices of those who need it. We cannot maintain justice if we sit back with eyes closed to the suffering of our neighbour. We cannot maintain justice if we sit back and do nothing while our the systems of our society favour a few over the many. Which leaves us with the question: what will you do to respond to God’s call to “maintain justice.” or in some cases, create justice? How can we, as people of faith fulfill God’s dream for justice in all the lands? So that all people might know what it means to live without fear or restraints based on who they are? This is the question I leave you with this week, as you read the headlines, as you see memes that turns issues of justice into one liners, as you seek to hear the voices of the people through the noise of our busy world. Ponder and ask yourself: what can you do to maintain God’s justice in this world, today?
God bless, Rev. Tara Ann
Devotional was written by Rev. Tara Ann Gourson, August 2020.
Bideford Pastoral Charge 