The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading PlanSample

The Desire for Justice

The prophet Habakkuk introduces his book by protesting to God about the presence of injustice. Several times he questions the Lord’s inaction to bring about justice (see Habakkuk 1:2 – 3). We can all relate to this feeling, which is similar to the experiences of Job (see Job 3:1) and David (see Psalm 13:1 – 2).

We all have within us a desire to see justice and righteousness win out. In God’s original design in the Garden of Eden, the plan was that we would never experience injustice. We were to be spared from this: “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). We were not meant to know these dark parts of life. So when, like Habakkuk, we protest injustice before God, it simply shows that we desire the garden again, a life of experiencing only love, justice and mercy. When we argue against the mistreatment or abuse at the hands of another person, an economy that ends a job or a depression that is difficult to live with, we are agreeing that life was not intended to go this way.

The day will come when God restores the world to himself and rights all wrongs: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). But until then, we must learn to live in today’s realities, trusting God, learning to grieve the garden and looking forward to his redemption of the world.

Taken from NIV Life Journey Bible