“He [Yahweh] has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness [mercy], and to walk humbly with your God?”
(Micah 6:8, ESV)
The year 2020, will be long remembered for several reasons. We have experienced flood conditions on two occasions in our area. The Reedy River was 15 feet above normal at one time. Tornados are rare in South Carolina, but recently we had a series of tornados bringing destruction and the loss of lives. The worldwide corona virus pandemic continues to cause anxiety, illness, and death. The Middle East, South Asia, and parts of eastern Africa have witnessed an uptick in swarming groups of locusts who are devouring crops and threatening famine. Now our nation has witnessed the horrific and needless death of George Floyd, an African American man in Minneapolis, at the hands of a white police officer. Rogue Police Officers must be held accountable. However, most police officers do not fall into that category. Emotions and tensions are running high. There have been nonviolent protests drawing attention to Floyd’s death and the need for social justice. Sadly and tragically, in contrast to peaceful protests, there have been acts of violence including the destruction of personal property, looting, theft, arson, beatings, anarchy, and even murder. Several police officers lost their lives in the line of duty trying to protect people they serve and their property. We mourn these all of these deaths. There is a lot of appropriate emotional involvement, even as there have been some responses that are disruptive and destructive. Systemic racism has been rightly condemned. Bold, compassionate leadership is needed and is being called for, but far too often it is absent.
How should followers of Christ respond?
The prophet Micah delivered a scathing accusation of the injustice and wickedness to the heads of Jacob and the rulers of Israel in his day. In Micah 6:8, the prophet tells the people what God requires. The Lord calls people to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. To do justice requires much more than simply talking about it, praying about it, or getting other people to practice it. Rather it means that all followers of the Lord must do justice themselves. It begins with each of us as individuals empowered by the Holy Spirit participating in biblical justice. Furthermore, we are called to love mercy, demonstrating the faithful covenant love that God has graciously and freely given us. Third, we are called to live in humility walking carefully, exactly like God wants us to live.[1]
How can we work toward reconciliation as the people of God in the midst of anger, hurt, confusion, misunderstanding, and opposing points of view?
- Listen to people. Hear their hurts, anxieties, fears, and pain in humility, without feeling like you have to offer an immediate response. The best pastoral offered to Job by his friends was when they sat with him in silence (Job 2:11-13).
- Seek to understand. As much as possible, empathize with those who are hurting as if you were walking in their shoes. You can express love and sympathy for those who are hurting even if you don’t understand.
- Pray for them. A lament is a form of prayer often used in the Scriptures, especially the Psalms. It is a cry for God to help in overcoming present circumstances.[2] A lament is the response of God’s people to the reality of suffering. Laments call on God to intervene when people are in pain and trouble.[3] People of African descent have suffered a long history of oppression in our nation. As the people of God, we are called to make intercession for others, especially in their time of need. We need to lament the brokenness in our culture, calling on God to intervene in the midst of pain and suffering to bring the reconciliation that can only be experienced through the gospel of Christ.
- Pray with them. It is always an encouragement to hear the prayers of people as they lift us up before the Lord.
- Point them to Christ, the reconciler. God has reconciled all believers to himself, overcoming our sin, guilt, rebellion, and shame, justifying and redeeming us. Since we have been reconciled to God, he has called us to a ministry of reconciliation as we lead people to receive Christ and find reconciliation in their relationships with others.
- Discuss justice issues with your family, friends, and church fellowship. These discussions raise social consciousness and lead to doing biblical justice.
- Be a peacemaker. In my quiet time today, I read Proverbs 15. The first verse states, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (ESV). Treat people with kindness and godly love. In the heat of passion, use soft answers to turn away wrath.
- Engage. Pray and vote your conscience. Build relationships with community leaders. Get involved in your community. Walk alongside a family in need, expressing the love of Christ. Local schools need volunteers to read to children. Tutor in an afterschool program. Serve at a local soup kitchen. Work as a Big Brother/Big Sister. Consider working with foster children. Help out at a correctional institution. Just an hour a week or once a month can make a huge difference in the lives of others. Find a way to engage that fits who you are. Be Christ’s hands and feet in your world.
God cares about all that is going on in our country; so should we. Pray for a spiritual awakening to sweep across America, healing hurts and uniting people to follow Christ at all costs. The only lasting reconciliation comes through the cross of Christ.
Cecil Frances Alexander grew up in Ireland and married Rev. William Alexander, an Anglican Bishop. She practiced justice by helping disadvantaged people, traveling many miles to visit the sick and the poor, providing food, warm clothes, and medical supplies. She also founded a school for the deaf with her sister. She wrote the song “Jesus Call Us O’er the Tumult.”
“Jesus calls us o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea; Day by day his sweet voice soundeth, saying, “Christian, follow me.”
Cecil Frances Alexander
[1]K. L. Barker, K. L. Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah. The New American Commentary, vol 20 (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 114-15.
[2]A. C. Myers, A. C., “Lament” in The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987), 638.
[3]Soong-Chan Rah, Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015), 64-65. Also see, Daniel Hill, White Awake (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 2017), 105-109.