In his book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie said that one of our deepest longings is “the need to be appreciated”.

But there is another need our pastor spoke of, and that is the need we have for “justice.” We have this need built into us, written in our hearts– because our hearts reflect His. Just as a painting reflects the heart and views of the artist, so we reflect the heart of God as His creations, His works of art… His fingerprint is on our lives.

“Here is my servant…I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.” Isaiah 42:1

God reveals His plan to send a servant — but this person is unlike any other worldly leader.

¹ “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
⁴ he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

Isaiah 42:1-4

This servant, God says, will not “shout, break,  snuff out, will not falter, or be discouraged”. His character will be different. God’s plan is to send Jesus to us, to a world longing for justice, but that is unjust, in disarray, full of human and political suffering. His plan is to bring justice and proclaim truth, through His chosen one who reflects the heart and character of God.

In our humanness, our longing for justice is not as pure and righteous as God’s… He has the perfect balance of justice and mercy. In our human imperfection, we are more likely to be skewed one way or the other or be more self-serving in our desire for justice or mercy. No earthly leader is perfect in this regard; no human person is.

But God is.

We do have hope in a lasting justice and mercy, in a perfect balance, in an ending that is “right”.

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My Thankful list (#561-575):

561. Perfect justice and mercy — hope for this world!
562. That the character of God is reflected in His son.
563. God’s plan will not be thwarted.
564. Even in the deepest pit, there is hope.
565. That the Spirit of God is available to us, in us, here on earth.
566. That God became flesh and dwelt among us.
567. That the inner man can be built up strong even while the outer man is perishing.
568. That God sees and knows the inner man.
569. That prayer and fellowship with God, communion with Him, is available to me, to us.
570. That nothing can separate us from the love of God.
571. That the lights on the trees and sparkling decorations are reminders of the eternal light that never dims, never fades, never dies.
572. That Christ’s birth is celebrated all over the world, and in the U.S. we still have the freedom to celebrate.
573. The music of the season.
574. The spicy, sweet smell of cinnamon in the air.
575. The smell and taste of fresh homemade cookies.

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