A lesson in the pursuit of justice …

George Whitefield was used greatly by God in both Great Britain and America, preaching revivals that helped spread the “Great Awakening.” To do the work God had for him to do, Whitefield made seven trips from England to the American colonies. He was likely the most famous religious figure at the time, preaching more than 18,000 sermons to as many as 10 million people. It’s recorded that a motto of Whitefield’s was this:

“I would rather burn out than rust out.”

Whitefield was persistent, and God blessed that persistence in a great way.

The idea of living with such productive persistence can be found in a lesson Jesus taught His disciples about being emphatic — downright persistent! — in a way that God still blesses:

“One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up,” Luke 18:1.

In the field of psychology, there is a common cognitive distortion called “overgeneralization.” That’s when we say things like, “You ALWAYS …” or “You NEVER …” Words like “always” and “never” are red flags that what’s about to be stated is an irrational thought or cognitive distortion. But here, Jesus teaches His disciples to have a level of persistence with God that is not irrational, but productive! As Luke records this story, he first gives us the purpose for the telling of it: “… to show that they should ALWAYS pray and NEVER give up.”

The example Jesus uses is regarding the need for justice. In such circumstances, we should ALWAYS talk to God (pray) with great persistence; in fact, in issues of justice, we should NEVER give up! Here’s the story Jesus told:

“‘There was a judge in a certain city,’ he said, ‘who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, “Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.” The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, “I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!” Then the Lord said, ‘Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?'” Luke 18:2-7.

We live in an unjust world yet serve a just and sovereign God. As His children, we should pursue justice unrelentingly, never giving up, and pleading with God for justice until justice is had.

How do you seek justice?

Scotty