Discover Your Soul's Path to GodSýnishorn

Believers with activist temperaments are in good company, biblically speaking. They can join such luminaries as Elijah and Moses, who showed evidence of profound and courageous activism. From them and others we can learn both the blessings and pitfalls of loving God by standing up for righteousness in hostile places. 

The challenge for activists is to approach God asking for his will to be done. Too often prayers are offered by activists in which God is accused more than he is petitioned. Life situations and circumstances can tempt us to question God’s sovereignty and goodness, but we see with a finite eye. God is not blind to injustice, nor is he indifferent. When we think our concern for righteousness exceeds God’s, we have slipped into the delusion of being self-appointed messiahs.

Romans 12:9 calls us to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. How often in our churches, when we see or hear about something that is wrong, do we address it, confront it, and force people to take a second look at it? Activists are actually spiritually nourished through the battle, which is not such a bad thing. Much of Jesus’ work involved intense confrontation with the religious authorities of his day. 

The way we do God’s work will determine whether or not we are being spiritually fed. When activists live to see justice and righteousness worked out so that it is visibly evident in the church and in society, and they do this as a way of loving God, the confrontation will actually bring fulfillment, not exhaustion; thanksgiving, not anger; and often a deeper sense of intimacy with God rather than a deeper sense of self-righteousness.

The fear involved in confrontation creates a certain dependence on God that isn’t normally there. You don’t just love him; you need him—desperately. Your primary fear is that he’ll leave, and you’ll be left to face the challenge on your own. Facing this fear and stepping out in faith, finding God to be faithful as he steps in to carry you, can do wonders for your intimacy with God. You appreciate him more.

The fear of confrontation is what keeps many from becoming activists. If some people have chosen to hate God and his kingdom, and if I’m going to identify myself with God and his kingdom, I will be hated. Sometimes activism results more from obedience than temperament. God’s Word can challenge us to be proactive when our temperament does not. 

We can turn activism into spiritual intimacy by orienting our activism around the love of God. Prayer is key in focusing the activist on God and his purposes—both individually and corporately as part of a movement lifting the needs we see up to God and asking God to keep our motives in check. God is in the business of using imperfect people—and even of transforming character flaws into useful tools and strengths. Being an activist is a high calling, but it needs to be done with the right motivation. We’re active because that’s the best way for us to express our love for God. Armed with this attitude, a successful ministry (rather than a personal monument) will soon follow.

Respond

How does seeing evil in the world impact your relationship with God?

How can you determine if God is calling you to address a need or confront an injustice?

How does prayer help you determine your motivation for confronting a wrong?