The Ache of Suffering Injustice

by Doug Floyd

“Vindicate me, LORD,” cries the psalmist. And in these words, I hear the ache from
countless tales of injustice. I hear the cry of the mother of six children as she
struggles in poverty after her husband the doctor abandons the family for his
young mistress. I hear the cry of the aging advertising executive who loses his
position as the company decides to save expenses by hiring a cheaper, younger
replacement. I hear the cry of the husband cut off from his children by a spiteful
ex-wife.

I hear the cry of countless people in my own city who are stuck in circumstances
with no apparent resolve. They suffer the pain of broken relationship, financial
ruin, job humiliation, devastating deception, church division, and more. I am
surrounded by people who have been trapped, sometimes for years, in painful
circumstances that appear to have no resolve.

There is real pain and real suffering all around us. Only when we come to face the
overwhelming reality of injustice, can we understand the prayer of the psalmist
who cries, aches, and breaks for vindication.

As the psalmist cries out to the LORD, he is looking for covenantal justice. If
YHWH is God and the just judge of His people, the psalmist believes YHWH is
responsible to judge this case and deliver his oppressed child from the painful
grip of unjust treatment. As the he continues his prayer in Psalm 26, he confesses
his dedication to walk in the way of the LORD, his refusal to fellowship with the
wicked, and his commitment to worship the LORD.

Is he trying to demonstrate before YHWH why he deserves vindication? Possibly, but

there is another way to understand his language. Facing a situation that he cannot
resolve, he chooses to trust in the faithfulness of the LORD. He rejects the
allure of wicked ways to resolve his problem or bitter fruit to nourish his ache.

His cry for vindication takes us beyond the minor inconveniences of daily life.
His cry touches those aches and struggles and injustices that seem to offer no
hope of resolution. Ever.

What happens when a family who enjoys a thriving business faces the sudden
destruction of their building by an unexpected tornado. When they try to rebuild,
the insurance turns out to be unreliable, and they are forced into bankruptcy,
losing their life savings and the fruit of their years of hard work. After
exploring every legal option, they realize there is no recourse.

What happens when grown children watch their widowed mother remarry a man who
proceeds to deplete her savings and cut off the rest of the family? Despite
repeated attempts at legal intervention, they cannot resolve the situation.

It wouldn’t be hard for most of us to list page after page after page of
injustices that people around us continue suffering every day.

This makes me think of another injustice. The gospels record the unjust sufferings
of an innocent man at the hands of religious bigots. Jesus enters into the
struggle of humanity, revealing the hope and love of God. He is mocked, beaten,
and cruelly killed. There seems to be no recourse for such abuse, and in his great
agony, he cries out, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?”

There is no last minute rescue.

He dies. He breathes his last breath. He drops his head. He is finished.

The lifeless body is taken from the cross and sealed in a tomb. The joy, hope, and
excitement of a new kingdom dies as Jesus dies. Now darkness fills the hearts of
his people as they wander into a hopeless night.

After the night, after all hope is lost, after there is no future left, the Father
surprises and shocks His people by resurrecting Jesus through the power of the
Spirit. This resurrection is the vindication of Jesus. The just Judge heard his
final cry and has responded. The just judge vindicates Jesus by raising Him up
from the dead. And according to Philippians, the just Judge will vindicate Jesus
in the sight of all men when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess
that Jesus in LORD!

Paul writes Philippians to a people who are suffering. He encourages them that God
will not forsake them and that He will complete the work He’s begun. He proceeds
to encourage them that in the midst of suffering, they can look forward with hope
to a day of vindication. Just as Jesus will be vindicated in the sight of all men,
his people will be vindicated as well.

This “good news” gives the Philippians and the psalmist hope that the injustices
will not be forgotten. That in the end God will redeem, restore and vindicate the
people of God. This hope gives the people of God the power to do the unthinkable.
We can rejoice in the midst of injustices. We can see beyond the ache of
unresolved abuses and serve those around us with a spirit of gentleness and love.

But lest we ignore all injustice in the world, this message of ultimate
vindication gives us hope that all our efforts at resolving the injustices of
others in this world will one day be fully realized. So we can serve the poor,
help the needy and pray and serve those who suffer around us, trusting that our
efforts are not in vain. For the just Judge will vindicate His Son, and in Christ
all injustices will be made right.