Protests & Prayers: God’s Word on InjusticeSample

DAY FOUR: TRUTH + GRACE

Have you ever had an untrue rumor spread about you? Or had a close friend who thought you did something terrible that you just didn’t do? It can be an agonizing, anxiety-ridden place to be. We want nothing more than to set the record straight, to shout the truth from the rooftops until everyone has heard it. We want to make the truth known at almost any cost.

When people believe false things about God, or themselves, we can tend to do the same thing—we can tend to be so focused on preaching out the truth and correcting lies that we become overbearing, exacting, even vengeful. We can start to hold others to an impossible standard of perfection. 

Truth is good! God loves truth. God hates lies. It’s not a bad thing for us to seek after truth and to speak truth to others. But God is also full of grace. He is patient. He isn’t vengeful. He brings good things even to people who aren’t living under his truth. 

As it pertains to evil and injustice in our world, we can be so eager to uncover the truth and teach others about the realities of oppression that exist. Sometimes in our eagerness, we forget to have the same attitude as Christ: patient, humble, loving, and gracious. 

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus reminds us to show mercy to our enemies. He reminds us that God shows common grace to all people, even people who don’t love him. And a few chapters later, he tells us that there is no lie that won’t be uncovered. We can trust him to take care of all untruths. 

So when we speak truth in our world, even hard truths about injustices, the pressure isn’t on us to uncover lies. We are called to speak truth in a way that reflects Jesus’ character, in a way that is loving and gracious, and we leave the job of changing hearts and minds up to God. Because only God can do that. 

Reflection Questions: 

In our modern age, people seem to love to “speak truth” in memes and on social media platforms. What does it look like for you to speak truth in a way that honors and reflects the graciousness of God? 

Do you find it harder to speak up, or harder to be gracious? Why do you think that is? 

How has God spoken truth to you, and how has God been gracious to you? Has he used other people to do it? How did those experiences help to change your heart and mind?