Father, Thank You for Being the Just Judge – 30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 13
For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us. – Isaiah 33:22
What is necessary for a judge to be just? He must have a thorough grasp of the law. He must have integrity and desire to uphold the law as given. He must also have full knowledge of the facts in order to judge rightly. The more knowledge of everyone involved in the case, the better the judgment he will pass.
As limited humans, we could never hope to judge perfectly. There is always an element of the story we don’t know or don’t understand. We certainly can’t see heart motivations and have a limited understanding of past circumstances and events. We also tend to have a skewed view of God’s perfect law. If we are honest, we often even misjudge ourselves. We either excuse sin within our hearts, or we judge ourselves too harshly going outside of God’s Word.
Aren’t you thankful that we have a God who is all-knowing, all-seeing, and everywhere present? There is not one single thought of the heart that He does not know. This all-knowing God is also completely righteous without a trace of sin. As Creator and Ruler of the universe, He sets the standard of what is right and wrong, and only He has the right to be the ultimate Judge.
Jesus Christ will judge the world one day. We long for justice to be accomplished, but we can rest in the fact that He perfectly desires justice even more than we do. He is patiently at work behind the scenes, and we can be assured that every wrong will be made right one day.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. – 2 Peter 3:8-9
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. – Acts 17:30-31
God alone is the rightful judge over all the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness according to His perfect knowledge and just wisdom. He will neither under-punish nor over-punish sin. What grace that Jesus Christ has already endured God’s justice on your behalf.
PRAISE: Give God the glory for judging in truth and righteousness.
THANKSGIVING: Thank God for judging you based on Christ’s righteousness and not your sin.
CONFESSION: Ask God to help you trust His judgment instead of your own, and confess your desire to stand as judge over the lives of others.
FURTHER STUDY: Take some time to breathe in the truth of God’s justice and respond to what He shows you.
