What do you do when someone benefits from wrongdoing and seems to be getting away with is?

My 3 year old son likes watching the show, “Blaze and Monster Machines.” In the show, there’s a character named Crusher that always cheats. In the show, Crusher never wins and his cheating always backfires. In real life, though, that’s not always how it works.

There are plenty of people who cheat in life and seem to get away with it. They do things that are wrong, even evil, and get rewarded for it. If you’re like me, that makes you mad. I get so frustrated when I see things like that. It’s one of the things I hate about politics. Politicians break the law and not only do they not go to jail, but they may get richer and more powerful.

Where’s the Justice?!!!
Our outrage about such things is actually good, for the most part. It comes from our sense of justice which God has given us. If we didn’t get upset by it, I’d be worried.

However, we do not need to let that anger overtake us. We do not need to be worried about it. God is not only perfect in His wisdom but also perfect in His justice. They will not get away with it forever. We may not even see the justice here on earth, but it will come.

Hoping for a Better Justice
What if I suggested that we shouldn’t want justice?…at least that kind of justice? Hear me out. Justice is good, but there’s a different way things can workout where justice is still served and the cheater doesn’t get there’s. This is when that person hears the Word of God, where the Law kills them and the Gospel raises them to new life in Christ. This is when their cheating is forgiven.

Seriously, Where’s the Justice?
One of the things I don’t like about my son’s show is that Crusher never has any real consequence and no one ever pays for his cheating. Now, what’s the difference between that and what I just described? Jesus. God doesn’t just forgive us and ignore justice. God fulfilled all righteousness and justice when Jesus took all of our sins (all our cheats) and paid the price. Justice is fulfilled.

So, what if, rather than our anger at injustice overtaking us, we prayed that the cheaters and evil-doers hear God’s Word and repent? What if our focus was on their forgiveness rather than their punishment? After all, if we are honest, we are one of those cheaters.

Dear Jesus,

I confess that I have sinned. I have cheated others and done what is wrong. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me. When I see others doing wrong and getting away with it, help me to trust Your justice and help me to pray for their salvation.

Amen.