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Luke 18 verses 6 and 7. And the Lord said “Listen to what the judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?”

Jesus told us that when the Son of man returns, it will be a time of unmitigated disaster for some people. It will be like lightning flashes, disaster reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah. It would be like the gathering of vultures in the air. It will be the sweeping away of all wickedness.

But now he presents us with a different view of his coming. From the point of view of those who truly belong to Him this event will be an event of good news. For then all the wrongs they have suffered will be put right.

Think of this for a minute. How many times have you not read of the persecution for Christians, both in ages past and also in our own day. The terrible hatred of Christ that the world has, takes the form of hatred of Christ disciples. Many of them have suffered beyond belief because they believed in Jesus. Such sufferings and injustices would increase as time goes by and particularly as we approach the day of His return. That is why we are urged to endure till the end of our lives. (Matthew 24 v 21, 22)

It is only natural that Christ’s disciples should cry out to God when they suffer persecution from the enemies of the Gospel. They do not cry out for revenge but for God to intervene in their sufferings and for the Gospel to go forward. They know that their God is a just God who will see to it that justice is done. Christians know that in the end God will always do the right thing. All those unprincipled people and especially unprincipled authorities who have taken a stand against Christ will be dealt with by the One person in the universe who is far greater than they are.

Some people have wondered if the Christian’s cry for Justice is in character with being a Christian. But we should remember that even Christ “committed himself to him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2 v 23). Even Jesus, who experienced the ultimate suffering at he hands of his enemies, and who, remember, prayed that his enemies would be forgiven – even Jesus our Saviour committed himself into the hands of His Father who He knew would judge righteously. We also remember the exhortation of the Apostle Paul who urged us not to avenge ourselves. “Vengeance belongs to me: I will replay, says the Lord. (Romans 12 v 19)

So the first thing I urge you to remember is that prayer is something that is continues and persistent and is based on the reality that when Jesus comes, all the things that puzzled us in this life will be seen in the greater light of eternity.

However, there is something more to glean from this passage. But that is for tomorrow.