The Goodness of the Lord

For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

—Psalms 33:4-5

 

The above verse made me stop and think. Psalms 33:4 is correct, “For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth,” but what about Psalms 33:5, “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord”? I have no doubt that God loves the righteous and justice, but when I look around me today, whether it’s the hateful trumpist factions in American politics, the possible invasion of Ukraine by the autocratic Putin, or one of the most repressive regimes in history hosting the Olympic Games, which is supposed to be about unity, sportsmanship, and peace, I find it hard to see that “the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” Instead, I see a world in which hatefulness is becoming more common than goodness.

 

Jesus describes his purpose, at the start of his ministry in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” The world today, and many Christians in it, are greedy, selfish, and hateful. We need to get back to the ministry that Jesus started: one that helps the poor, heals the brokenhearted, and heals the sick. We need to stand up to our captors and oppressors. We need to follow Jesus’s example and “proclaim liberty to the captives” and “set at liberty those who are oppressed.” 

 

To defeat the oppressors in the United States, we have to go to vote and make sure the trumpists lose at the polls. We need to stand up to international bullies like Vladimir Putin, and loudly call out the Chinese for the oppression and genocide of its citizens. We need to elect leaders who will try to make sure “the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” We have to do more for the poor and oppressed in this world. We need to make healthcare a right, not a privilege of the wealthy.

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best in his “I Have a Dream” speech:

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
…
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. 
I have a dream today!
…
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.