In Prayer: Justice, and only justice

You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
You shall not pervert justice … Justice, and only justice, you shall follow …
Deuteronomy 16:18, 19a, 20a

Do you want justice? Are you disappointed when you see injustice? Most of us are. Why is justice so important to us? The Scriptures say, “[The Lord] loves righteousness and justice,” (Psalm 33:5), and “righteousness and justice are the foundation of [His] throne,” (Psalm 89:14). It is important to us because it is important to God, and we are made in His image. Righteousness and justice are often connected in Scripture. The dictionary defines justice as “the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness.” We can see that the two words are closely connected in meaning. When we want justice in government, what we really want is God’s “rightness.”

We, like the Israelites, have the opportunity to help choose our leaders. Let us pray that the Lord our God will give us leaders who will not pervert justice, but will follow “justice, and only justice.”

In Prayer is taken from past Samaritan Prayer Guides.