Psalm 103

I love Psalm 103, so much that I committed to memory verses 1-5 a while back. This morning I was reading and meditating on them again, but I decided to attempt memorizing the entire Psalm. Verse 6 says:

"The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed."

The question rose to my mind "Do I really believe that?" Consider the suffering inhabitants of the world that are dying in starvation, disease and oppression. The suffering is overwhelming to me. Elizabeth Smart didn't ask to be abducted by that polygamist nut-case while sleeping soundly in her bed one night. My son didn't ask to get cancer at age 2. My sister didn't ask to be held down in scalding water when she was 3 and bear the messy scars on her legs to this day. And it's the age-old question, isn't it, 'If God loves the world, then why is there so much suffering?' Well, I don't know. I just don't know. I understand the root of it is sin, but the flowering symptoms of this diseased plant are so awful I can't bear to think about them.

Sharon, my Godly friend, always challenges me to read the Word, believe the Word and to walk in the Word, even if I've never seen some of the things I read about. So that is the grid through which I read verse 6 this morning. I have to read this verse, believe it and walk in it, even if I haven't seen it with my own eyes. I must trust that God WILL work righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed, either in this life or the next. If I disbelieve or disobey this, then I am disbelieving and disobeying God himself.

God, help me believe!