A Brighter Future: A 5-Day DevotionalSample

Day 4 — A look at biblical justice

What would a brighter future for the world look like? Would it look like less war, less famine, less division? More circumstances where hope, honour, and truth win?

Woven throughout the Bible is a continuous story of justice, and God’s justice is all about wholeness. Fixing what’s broken. Making wrong things right. Restoring the world and humanity to its original design.

For 430 years, God’s people lived under the yoke of bondage in Egypt. Living as slaves in a foreign land, the Israelites were treated with cruelty and contempt. They would have faced judgment from the Egyptians and would have been denied certain privileges.

On top of that, centuries had already passed since God made His covenant promise to Abraham about the Promised Land. The Israelites probably felt abandoned and despondent, wondering where God was, and if—and when—He would show up.

Yet God did not forget His people. He was present, even in their suffering, and He had a plan to release them from their captivity. The Bible says God heard their cries and listened to their prayers. He had a plan to restore justice.

From stories like this, we know justice is important to God. He does not turn away from our pain and suffering, but He stays with us through the darkness and, in time, promises to transform it into something beautiful.

In prolonged seasons of silence or inaction in our lives, it’s important to remember that God longs for justice. It matters to Him that redemption and reconciliation win in the end. It matters to Him that the oppressed experience victory and that there is a brighter future on the horizon.

Deuteronomy 32:4 says that justice is part of God’s nature. God cannot be separated from it. God does not merely possess love, holiness, and justice; He is love, holy, and just.

Because God is just, and Genesis 1 says that humans are created in God’s image, this means that our innate sense of justice is imparted to us by our Creator. We are designed to be image-bearers of His justice and reflect His heart. We are designed to be moved by the things that move Him and advocate for the causes that matter to Him.

There is a day coming when we will see the fullness of God's justice restored on Earth. Excitingly, He invites us to partner with Him in this work of restoring truth, beauty, and order, and to reconcile things back to their original, perfect design.

The ministry of Compassion exists for this very reason.

Releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name is a holy pursuit because it reminds our brothers and sisters across the world that they are deeply loved and seen by God.

Through partnership with the local church, Compassion seeks to remind children living in poverty that their current circumstances are not the end of the story. God is at work bringing true and righteous justice to the world, and He has a plan and a hope for their future. God longs for each of His children to experience this kind of brighter future—with Him at the centre.

Reflection question

What would a brighter future for the world look like, and how can you be part of seeing it happen?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for carrying justice in the essence of Your being. We are so thankful that You are a God who cares about the brokenness and weariness in our world, and You long to make wrong things right and restore beauty, truth, and wholeness to all things. Please fill us with Your heart of compassion today and show us ways that we can walk in love and justice towards those in need in our world. Amen.