Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Ps. 10:12–14
Holy Father, there are times when it’s good to get fed up and hacked off, to get red in the face and fire in the pants, to get angry with a holy rage. Looking into the eyes of helpless victims and hearing the sneer of agents of terror is just such a time. Today we take up the psalmist’s impassioned cry, “Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless”
It’s inconceivable and unconscionable that there are over twenty-seven million human slaves today who live (barely) in bondage to other human beings. I’ve seen it firsthand. Never let me forget the day I walked the streets of Bangkok looking for an afternoon snack, only to be offered little girls for my pleasure by street vendors; as though these priceless seven-, eight-, and nine-year-olds were nothing more than an ice cream cone—a usable commodity, fodder for evil’s fantasies.
Righteous Father, “break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out” (Ps. 10:15). We don’t ask this self-righteously but with a longing for justice to flow like a river through the streets of Bangkok, Bangladesh, Berlin, Burbank, Brussels… and every city and hamlet. Indeed, we ache for your righteousness to be the never-failing stream which cuts its life-giving way throughout the earth (Amos 5:24).
Lord Jesus, because the gospel is true, we pray with confidence, “The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror” (Ps. 10:16–18).
Because of your cross, terror is terrified and one day will be no more; Satan knows his time is short and demons tremble with fear. Because of your resurrection, your kingdom will come, your will will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Because we are your people, it’s your pleasure to use us, even us, to be a means by which your mercy is shown and your justice is revealed. Lord Jesus, we pray with humble gratitude and great hope in your holy name. Amen.
