Christian life . Family

Do Justly, Love Mercy: Accepting God’s Loving Sovereignty

On December 10, 2024 by Anna De Lay

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

Isaiah 55:8

Not too long ago, I found myself standing in the face of God, telling Him how to do His job. Crying about how hurt I am by a loved one’s actions and how my family is now forever changed by a moral failure. How, if this situation received no recompense, I was going to be very angry.

At whom?

Quite frankly, if I’m being honest–at God.

How could He let this happen?

What is the purpose? And if all things truly work together for our good, I just don’t see it.

And yet, who am I to demand judgement? Who am I to tell God what to do? Who am I to stand before my Maker and Holy Judge and spew accusation against another sinful human being? As if I am perfect.

There is none righteous, no, not one.

Romans 3:10

No matter how hurt we are by another’s sin, whether ignorant or blatant, justice is simply not ours to administer. For how God ultimately disciplines one of His children is really none of our business. Unfortunately, that often times doesn’t stop us from interjecting our opinion into the matter out of desperation or anger and telling a holy God how to handle the situation. “God, I need you to do this and this and this! Because look at what they did to me! Bring swift justice now!” Cue the judge’s gavel! Guilty verdict!

But is God not supreme enough to handle justice Himself?

Unknowingly, we often believe God’s discipline is not good enough, and we repeatedly doubt that our sovereign God can handle our situation. So, we decide to let Him in on what we feel should happen…in not-so-subtle ways. But the fact is,

God’s ways are not ours.
His timing is not ours.

Psalm 103 gives us a picture of His ways and His timing – of who He is:

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So, the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103:8-14

What a merciful God we serve! If any of us got what we truly deserved, we simply wouldn’t be alive. The Psalmist writes again,

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.

Psalm 130:3-4

God’s ways are not ours. Thank God! His justice is not like ours. He does not react rashly or out of anger. He pities us as a father pities his children. Yes, he pities the abuser as much as the abused. The thief as much as the one stolen from. The betrayer as much as the betrayed. The adulterer as much as the cheated-on spouse. Though, our human minds cannot comprehend this. His love knows no bounds, no limits like ours does. He longs to forgive and bring us back into relationship with Him. He has seen it all, knows it all, knows each heart, and knows our pain.

Can we trust Him with our hearts? Can we trust Him to help us forgive? Can we trust that His justice is sovereign?

May our response be, “Lord, let YOUR will be done, not mine. Heal my heart and help me to trust you with it. Help the one who hurt me, redeem them, deliver them from this sin. Lord, have mercy on their soul. Have your way in their life. Help me to forgive them as You have forgiven me. Help me to continue to love them as you do. And help me to have wisdom and humility in this situation and to also do what’s right.” For His word says, “to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

I’ve been guilty of believing that God’s discipline would not be good enough, of trying to take the reins, prescribing justice myself, telling God what needs to happen, (and telling others what needs to happen as well). God forgive me for not trusting in you!

Yet, God’s justice does not take the place of grief.

After the anger settles, my love for the one who caused this pain causes me to grieve the loss of who they were to me. The relationships they’ve lost. Respect lost. Life no longer the same. Family ruined.

Sorrow, love, and forgiveness intertwine.

But God.

God is sovereign. He is sovereign even in the hurt, the offense, the let downs, the disappointments, the crushing circumstances. He is sovereign even if the discipline and justice is more or less than what we think they deserve or what we want. He is sovereign even when we know things can never ever be the same again. And that right there is hardest to take.

He is sovereign even in the moral failures, the denial, the regret, and the long night of sorrow.

Longest night of my life.

He is sovereign still.

Dear heavenly Father,

I pray for anyone reading this who is dealing with such pain and hurt by a loved one that You would embrace them with Your loving presence. Mend what has been broken. Redeem what looks unredeemable. Restore what has been stolen. May we feel Your love healing us and making us whole again. May we seek Your heart more than ever before and know that Your love, mercy, and justice is sovereign. And it is enough. Your ways are higher than ours and we commit to trust You. Work in us a greater hope, a more faithful love, and a confidence in our God that is unshakeable. In Jesus’ name, Amen.