Micah: Justice + MercySample

Watching. Waiting. Hearing.

By Danny Saavedra

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7 (NIV)

Hope is a misunderstood concept in our world. Have you ever heard or said something like this:

I hope I get an A on this test! 

I hope the Dolphins win!

I hope she calls!

I hope I win the lotto this weekend!

That’s not hope; it’s wishful thinking—a pipe dream with a faulty foundation and no security. It’s not what Micah is talking about when he says “I watch in hope for the Lord.”

So, what is he watching? Just look back at the first six verses of this chapter or the first six chapters of the book: extreme injustice, corruption, oppression, marginalization, wickedness, and idolatry. In response to all he is, Micah weeps over the sinful state of God’s people and the world (Micah 7:1), but Micah doesn’t camp on this weeping. Instead, he watches in biblical hope and waits upon His Savior!

Biblical hope is an anchor for our souls, a certainty, a joyful and confident expectation. Micah watches and waits because he has confidence in the Lord. He knows the Lord “pardons sin and forgives the transgression;” He delights “to show mercy,” has “compassion on us,” treads “sins underfoot,” and hurls “all our iniquities into the depth of the sea” (Micah 7:18–20). He knows the Lord is faithful even when we’re faithless, shows love to His people, and keeps all His promises. Thus, His hope isn’t a pipe dream or wishful thinking; it’s strong and firm based on the character of God and the Word of God. He can wait with confidence and watch with anticipation because God has promised to never leave nor forsake us!

And, just like Micah, we can stand watch, be on guard, and walk in the calling and work God has called us to in a wicked, unjust, and corrupt world. We can wait on the Lord and know He hears and answers us. The best part for us, something Micah didn’t have at that time, is knowing God our Savior has come! Jesus redeemed and forgave us. 

The hope Micah was watching and waiting for with confident expectation has already come and is coming again, and we have Him within us through the Holy Spirit, “who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:14 NIV). Because “... the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people,” we can say "... 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:11–14 NIV, emphasis added).

Pause: What’s the difference between worldly hope and biblical hope? What is biblical hope built upon?

Practice: What are you weeping over? What breaks your heart? What burdens you? Bring it to the Lord who hears you, and watch and wait with confident expectation as the Lord leads and guides you to be His hands and feet in the world as He advances the kingdom and reveals the gospel to those who are lost in sin through you!

Pray: Father, I thank You and praise You for Your faithfulness, for Your loving kindness, for Your mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. I thank You for giving me a secure hope that does not disappoint because Your love has been poured out into my heart through the Holy Spirit. I weep the sinful state of the world and I mourn over my own sin struggles, but I will not stay trapped in that mourning because I know You are redeeming all things and making all things new. So, I wait with joyful and confident expectation for that day! Until then, Father, I pray You would use me to share the gospel of salvation with those who are lost. I ask for Your help to live upright and godly as I watch and wait. Amen.