Restoring Justice
Sunday, May 17
2 Samuel 21:7-14
In my role as chaplain, individuals often come to me heartbroken about the ways challenges have entered into their stories. They have shared unspeakable ways they have been harmed by the actions of others that have left them exposed socially or emotionally. Sometimes the only response I can muster is to hold vigil for them. To sit with someone in their sorrow, in a place where sadness is viewed as a weakness, is a challenge and opportunity to share who God is and that God is just.
Rizpah’s story is similar. A former concubine of King Saul, Rizpah has had unspeakable things done to her and to her family, yet she continues to trust that God is just. King David handed her children over to the Gibeonites, who murdered them and exposed their bodies to the elements. Rizpah sees the injustice and covers her sons until David brings their bones back to be buried appropriately. Her vigil causes the injustice to be corrected, and this faithfulness in turn leads to God answering the prayer on behalf of the land (v. 14).
God is always working toward justice and wants us to be a people who act justly as well. May we, like Rizpah, be a people who seek to restore honor and justice, trusting that God will answer our prayers.
Lord, give us hearts, hands, eyes, and feet that move us toward justice. Amen.
God’s Constant Provision
Monday, May 18
2 Kings 8:1-6 (4:18-37)
“I won’t go home unless you go with me,” the Shunammite woman said to Elisha after telling him of her son’s death in 2 Kings 4:30. She had generously built an addition to their home where he could stay when he came through the area. Her family regularly shared meals with him, and Elisha prophesied that the Lord would bless her with a son. So when her son died, she knew that the man of God was the only person she wanted to share her sorrow with.
Elisha restores her son to life, and four chapters later he instructs her to move to a new place because famine was coming. When she returns home after seven years, her home is no longer hers and she petitions the king to restore her house and her land.
When we are riding the roller coaster of life full of ups and downs, twists and turns, the only constant is God’s promise to provide for us. How often do we go to God first in times of crisis or sorrow? How often do we treat hospitality like a transaction? Like the Shunammite woman, we too can be people who are courageous enough to share our pains directly with God. We too can be people who are generous to others because of our love of God.
Holy Spirit, thank you for always being with us, advocating for us, and giving us generous hearts. Amen.
People Of Hope
Tuesday, May 19
2 Kings 5:1-5, 9-14
Being a prison chaplain presents many unique challenges in ministry. The facility where I serve has approximately 1,500 individuals who have been exiled from society into prison where fourteen unique faith traditions worship each week. I often point to such stories like this passage as a message of hope for them. Naaman’s servant girl is not named in this passage. She is in a hopeless position, yet in her captivity she presents herself as a person of hope and healing to her captors. Today’s Scripture tells us that sometimes it’s not what we are called to do for the Lord, but where we are called. Whether it’s in captivity and exile or behind locked doors and barbed wire, we can be a people who bring hope and healing to those around us.
Father, allow me to be a person of hope and healing in the places where you have called me. Amen.
Action Of Compassion
Wednesday, May 20
Exodus 2:5-8, 10
“It’s another wonderful day full of challenges and opportunities.” I have grown to appreciate that phrase the longer I serve in ministry. Perhaps that sentiment was going through the mind of the daughter of Pharaoh. As she overheard the cry of the newborn Moses in the river, she was confronted with the challenge of disobeying her father and the opportunity to show compassion and break the cycle of cruelty in her family. Moving out of her position of power in the royal family to save an innocent child forced her to put an actual face to the innocent children. Pharaoh’s daughter not only saves Moses’s life; she reunites him with his mother. The Jewish Talmud will go on to give her the name Batyah, which means “daughter of God.” Every day we face challenges and opportunities like Batyah did. Her compassion toward Moses, his sister, and his mother is tangible; however, it’s her actions that have the lasting impact. Compassion is great, but coupled with action it is far greater.
Dear God, allow our compassion to be moved into action in our daily challenges and opportunities. Amen.
God’s Heart Bent Toward Justice
Thursday, May 21
Luke 18:1-8
I recently adopted a new puppy, Ivy Diana, and let me tell you, she is needy. She is by my side, nipping at my hands and clothes and constantly barking. Even though I understand she is just being a puppy, I sometimes find myself annoyed because there are many other things to do. It’s not unlike the judge in our text. The judge, who respects neither people nor God, gives the widow what she asks for and the story ends with this question: “When the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” (v. 8). God doesn’t render justice based on our persistence; God renders justice because he is bent toward justice to begin with. Our persistence in prayer is because we know God will act. The call is not to be discouraged by consistent no’s, but to remain faithful, knowing God will act.
That can be hard when we continue to hear no. Yet we know that God’s heart is bent toward justice and righteousness, and for that reason we can be encouraged and remain prayerful.
Dear God, give us a reminder that you have heard our prayers. Help us to remain faithful. Amen.
Standing In The Gap
Friday, May 22
Esther 4:12-17
During my ordination service in June 2025, Rev. Marcos Ambriz was the preacher, and he challenged us pastors to be people who stand in the gap—not to be pastors who only protect their flock, but to make sure we’re holding the doors open for others to come in as well. Esther faced a similar challenge: would she be someone who stood in the gap to protect her people? Without her courage to stand up to the king, an entire people would have been destroyed. Likewise, many people never would have come to know God.
Today, could you be someone who stands in the gap for others, not only to keep them from harm but also to hold the door open so others can come inside? Perhaps you are here for such a time as this: to make more disciples, across more diverse populations, to build a more just world.
Dear God, give us the courage to be someone who stands in the gap for others. Amen.
Be Strong And Courageous
Saturday, May 23
Deuteronomy 31:6
For a few summers I served at Portage Lake Covenant Bible Camp in Onekama, Michigan. During our Trailblazer week, speaker Jerry Jacoby would grab his blue guitar and, with his wife, Michaella, start marching in place singing today’s text: “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid.” While that was done in a kid-friendly way, the thing that always came through was, as I call it, the “truthiness behind the goofiness,” which is that we can be strong and courageous because God will always be where his people are. It’s God who gives us those gifts. We can be not afraid because through trials and circumstances, God will remain faithful.
How powerful are the words of Moses, spoken to the people of Israel and to the future leaders in that crowd to remind them that the trials they had been through weren’t the end of the road. In the difficult moments of the wilderness, God was with them and would continue to be with them as they walked toward the promised land. In the midst of confusion over a change in leadership, it was a reminder that their endurance and persistence were their testimony.
To the youth in our churches who don’t feel listened to or valued: be strong and courageous because you are the future leaders in God’s kingdom and God is with you. To my congregation who are stuck behind barbed wire fences and cell doors: be strong and courageous because God sees you, God hears you, and God is with you. To my sisters in ministry who feel an extra burden to justify their calling or face an insurmountable amount of resistance: be strong and courageous because your persistence and endurance through trials are powerful testimonies that we need to hear to move us from wilderness to the promised land and God is with you.
Dear God, continue to remind us to be strong and courageous because you are with us. Amen.
