Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Psalm 10:12-14
Holy Father, there are times when it’s good to get fed up and hacked off; red in the face and fire in the pants—to get fueled with holy rage and kingdom passion. Looking into the eyes of helpless victims, and hearing the sneer of agents of evil, is just such a time. Today we take up the psalmist’s impassioned cry, “Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless” (Ps. 10:12).
Inconceivable, unconscionable, and unacceptable: Over 25 million people wake up today in slavery to fellow image bearers of God. Never let me forget the day I walked the streets of Bangkok looking for an afternoon snack, only to be offered little girls by street vendors—as though these priceless children were nothing more than an ice cream cone, a usable commodity, an expendable entity.
Righteous Father, “break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out” (Ps. 10:15). We don’t pray with self-righteous arrogance, but with a longing for justice to flow like a river through the streets of every metropolis and hamlet; and for your righteousness to be the never-failing stream, cutting its way throughout the earth (Amos 5:24).
We long for the Day of no more evil, in any form. No more racism or nationalism; no more traffic stops as terror moments; no more suicide belts or pornography shops; no more out-of-control greed or children going to bed unfed; no more dealing drugs or court excused thugs; no more political craziness or Satanic darkness; for no more meanness or madness in any form.
Because the gospel is true, that forever Day is coming. Until then, use us, Father, as a means of your mercy and justice, rescue and righteousness, healing and hope. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ name… with intense longing and great anticipation.