We pursue justice because justice is important to God. Justice is at the very heart of the gospel and at the heart of God’s relationship with humanity. In Psalms 11:7, the psalmist speaks about how ‘the Lord is righteous, and He loves justice’.
As God’s people – a people made in his image – we are also called to be lovers of justice. If I am honest, it took me a while to grasp this. I had never connected my passion for justice to God, nor had I considered justice to be related to God’s relationship with the world. I had often seen them as two distinct entities.
As I see justice in a new light now, I wanted to share a few things I have learned about how prayer, justice and intercession all relate to each other:
1. Justice is a way to make the heart of God known.
The truth is, we have a heart for justice because Jesus first has a heart for justice. The more we spend time getting to know Jesus, the more we understand the Biblical call to justice.
2. One of the best ways to know God is through prayer.
Simply put, prayer is communication with God. Speaking to God about justice-related issues allows us to partner with heaven and hear what God wants to do on earth through us.
3. Prayer gives us a strategy to face injustice.
Prayer directs us to the heart of the father and teaches us how to make His heart known on earth. It gives us direction to where God wants us to be and what he wants us to do. We receive strategy and insight for our part to play in the face of injustice.
4. Prayer helps us stand in the gap for others.
Actions of justice mean we stand in the gap to help others. We can also do this through prayer, as intercession allows us to ‘stand in the gap’ to God. Intercession is essential, as it takes the weight off our shoulders and places it on God’s shoulders. It is an opportunity to give the heavy burden of injustice to God.
5. Intercession allows us to re-align with God’s big plan.
Intercession helps us think about God’s bigger plan of restoration when it comes to justice. God plans to bring restoration in this age and in the age to come, and God wants us to be a part of it.
6. Intercession is founded on hope.
We live in hope, knowing that complete justice is found in Jesus and will be established perfectly in his second coming. As intercession is built upon hope, it therefore produces hope. This is one of the most crucial parts of Biblical justice.
These six things have encouraged me to look at God when I think about justice by including God in every aspect of my life. My prayer is that we would all be people who pursue justice in a hope-filled way, making the name of Jesus known through our justice endeavours.
If you enjoyed this article, check out our latest podcast episode about courageous prayer & declaring justice. Grace features, alongside James Aladiran, the founder & director of the Prayer Storm movement.