Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Justice

"God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied."

Matthew 5:6

What does it mean to hunger and thirst for justice? The Greek word translated here as "justice" is dikaiosune, a term that refers to personal righteousness as well as to social justice. Those who hunger and thirst for dikaiosune have a deep yearning for things to be right in their individual lives and in society. This will happen when God's kingdom comes completely and creation is restored to his original intention.

In the meanwhile, we yearn for God's justice to be present in our fallen world. To the extent we are able, we seek to live according to God's standards of justice and to see his justice experienced in our world. Wherever we have authority, at work or in our families, in government or in church, we should live out the biblical call to justice. Indeed, God loves justice (for example, Psalm 11:7) and there he blesses those who seek to live justly.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Do you hunger and thirst for God's justice? If so, how does this yearning manifest itself in your daily life?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, since you love justice, then so should I. You care deeply for those who are oppressed, for the poor, for aliens, widows, and orphans. So should I.

Help me, dear Lord, to hunger and thirst for your justice. But may my yearning for justice be more than theoretical. Help me to treat justly the people in my life: my coworkers and subordinates, my children, those who serve me at restaurants and in stores. May your justice be seen in the way I spend my money, in the decisions I make at work, and in the deep desires of my heart.

All praise be to you, King of kings, because you are a just and merciful God. All praise be to you because you love justice. Amen.