A Prayer For Justice

Psalm Ninety-Four

O Lord, God of vengeance,
O God of vengeance, shine forth!
Rise up, O judge of the earth;
repay to the proud what they deserve!
O Lord, how long shall the wicked,
how long shall the wicked exult?
They pour out their arrogant words;
all the evildoers boast.
They crush your people, O Lord,
and afflict your heritage.
They kill the widow and the sojourner,
and murder the fatherless;
and they say, “The Lord does not see;
the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge—
the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath.

Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
to give him rest from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Who rises up for me against the wicked?
Who stands up for me against evildoers?
If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who frame injustice by statute?
They band together against the life of the righteous
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
He will bring back on them their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Lord, you see. Oh, you see. You see the pain and the injustice in our land today. You see the fear and division of your people. You see the grief and the questions—O Lord, how long?

Father, unite your people, bring justice, uphold and console your Bride. Cause your love to so abide in your Church that it drives out all fear, so that we may love our neighbors, not only in word or talk, but also in deed and truth. May your gospel go forth and bring healing.

May the power of your Holy Spirit so indwell and empower your church that we would bring real and lasting change where it is needed, shining the light of your truth into every dark corner where racism and division dwell, tearing down the strongholds of hostility and hatred—begin with us. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and the humility to listen. Lord, search our hearts and see if there be any wicked way in us, and lead us in the way everlasting.

And may the cross of Christ draw your people together as one, from every tribe, nation, and tongue, to the praise of your glorious grace. Amen.