“If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine.” – Che Guevara

“Let us be enraged about injustice but let us not be destroyed by it.”   – Bayard Rustin

“How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?  How long will my enemy be exalted over me?” – Psalm 13:1-2

Think about a woman who was married for decades, dedicating her life to her husband and her family – only to be left for another younger woman – making her years of commitment and loyalty seem meaningless.  How about a young man in the prime of his life – struck down by a car accident that left him wheelchair-bound for the rest of his days?

How about a man so immersed in the pain of an unexpected divorce, that he turns to alcohol and gambling to ease his hurt – a hurt that eventually drives him to commit suicide?  What about a teenage boy, punched in the face and knocked out cold by his own father, only to wake up and be told to leave the house and never come back again?

How about a woman who was laughing and having fun with her husband one minute and suddenly he dies without any warning right in front of her – or the mother who watches her only son become a slave to heroine, never again knowing the loving, caring person he once was to her?

These are not fictitious stories, but are real life examples of people I have met and known in my own life.  I am confident if you sat quietly for a short period of time, you could come up with more examples of people you personally know (even your own experiences) that demonstrate the pain and suffering so prevalent in this world of ours.

I guess I am a comrade of Che Guevara (from the quote above) as I suffer just thinking about the injustice of it all in a way that I will try to explain.

If you read my articles, you know I believe in a Sovereign God – in control of all His creation.  He must ALLOW all injustice or it would never occur.  David must have believed the same thing as evidence in his Psalm above.  Other prophets, God-fearing individuals, felt this same distress – suffering and knowing that an Almighty God could instantly put an end to it all if He wished.

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence.” – Habakkuk 1:1-3 NLT

“He has walled me in, and I cannot escape. He has bound me in heavy chains. And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers.  He has blocked my way with a high stone wall; he has made my road crooked.” –  Lamentations 3: 7-9 NLT

Even Christ, as He suffered thinking about what lied before Him, and while He was dying on the cross, cried out – knowing that God’s presence and power could end it.

“He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by.” – Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14:35 NLT

“Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” – Jesus on the cross in Mark 15:34 NLT

How do you love and trust a God who seems so aloof or absent? 

Where I personally have trouble wrapping my mind around injustice is this very fact – a Sovereign God could make it stop.  I am a father, as God is ours, and to think I would allow my daughters to suffer ANYTHING that I could ultimately stop or control seems ludicrous and unloving.

The alternative I guess is to believe that the evil forces of this world are OUTSIDE of His control – that Satan has rule and dominion over all that transpires – explaining somewhat how a loving God seems to look the other way when such tragedy and injustice unfold.

But intermingled with injustice in this world is goodness.  Life isn’t all evil or horrific.  So, if Satan had total rule in this world, goodness of any kind would not exist.  He apparently is kept in check – again pointing to a God who oversees and controls all injustice.

But read again the examples I gave above. Why God?  Why such suffering?

How long God?  How long must we grieve the loss?  How long must we endure the loneliness and rejection?  How long must we deal with the self-centeredness of others and their actions?  How long before the disease is cured and the wrongs of this world made right again?

To question God seems like heresy, but both notable men and women of the Bible did so when life left them empty or hurt.  This type of “lament”, a passionate expression of grief and suffering, is so common in the Scriptures.

To voice despair, to question why a good God allows such injustice isn’t wrong, but as Bayard Rustin states above, it can destroy us if we stay in such a mindset.  It can ruin our destiny, drain away our created purpose and make for a meaningless life.

How difficult it is to move from lamenting to being hopeful again – especially when the pain and hurt are very deep – especially when it has lingered on for years – especially if the cost or loss was catastrophic?

Can you relate to this my friend?  Have you questioned like me, “How long God?”  How much longer before this hurtful emotion passes, this lack is removed or this heavy burden lifted?  Have you questioned His goodness and His love for you as you faced difficult, painful circumstances?

I believe the answers are found in prayer.  Not necessarily the definitive answers you may desire, but the comfort and assurance that comes by moving closer to our God – laying our laments at His feet and knowing He is there with us as we face them.

You see this in the examples above.  It is where Christ Himself chose to take His feelings of emptiness and fear.

Prayer, in essence, is a way of moving closer to the Divine – to take steps that place us in the center of His presence.  It’s like moving closer to the fireplace when you are cold or positioning ourselves closer to the stage so we can see and hear things better.

When we take steps toward the Source of all things, we change – mot our circumstances necessarily, but the fragility and weakness of our human condition begins to evolve.  We become more peaceful in the presence of the “Prince of Peace” – more hopeful in the company of “the God of all comfort”.  Standing in His presence makes all the difference – especially in perspective, just like it becomes impossible to stand next to the fire and not feel its warmth. It becomes impossible to communicate and commune with God and not experience greater levels of comfort, hope, and peace in times of injustice.

As you move closer to Him in the injustice you face, say a prayer for me my friend, and as I pray, I will say a prayer for you.

Let’s move from lamenting (from asking “How long?”) to purposely moving closer to Him – not for His explanations or His answers or for justification, but to simply seek Him, to hold Him close, and to reverence His power and authority over it all.

May God grant each of us the wisdom and understanding we seek surrounding the injustice in this world and give us hope and assurance of His promises to make it all right again in His time.

God bless you now and always!