Deepening the Soul for Justice - Bethany H. Hoang (November - December 2017)
10 Truths to Live By:
“Seeking justice [is] bringing right order and exerting life-giving power to protect the vulnerable.”
“Contrary to what might seem logical, sabbath stopping is not meant primarily to help us “rest up” so that we are ready for the next challenge; it is not meant to be pragmatic toward another end. The resting and stopping of sabbath are intended as being good in and of themselves - complete. They are a declaration of all that has come before as belonging to God, and a declaration that all that is left undone and all that lies ahead also belongs to God. All is from God and for God and by God. Sabbath is a declaration that it is God alone who reigns supreme in this day.”
“Foolish as it seemed, it became clear to me that this command to “stop”, to “rest”, to “cease” from work and to be still is a command that pervades Scripture. Nearly every issue that the Israelites faced - idolatry, murder, coveting, grumbling, lying - could be linked to their root disobedience of not keeping the sabbath and therefore not trusting God above all else… Compelled by Scripture, I decided to trust God and, for a full day each week, stop the flurry of activity that I believed defined who I was and seek to be more intentionally attentive to the reality of who God is… sabbath is an intentional declaration of the reality of God’s reign, of the reality of God’s finished work on our behalf.”
“Prayer in many moments can all too easily feel like an interruption. It feels inefficient and ineffective. Sometimes it might even feel irresponsible in the face of truly urgent matters. And that it exactly why the sabbath rhythm exists. When we least feel that we have time to stop is likely when we most need to do precisely that - stop. Without moments and days of intentional sabbath, I am bound again to the treadmill of what Gary Haugen has called “prayerless striving.””
“If we pursue life in the midst of friends who are also listening intently both to God’s Word and God’s Work in this world, then this community surrounding us will further confirm the convictions we ourselves are discerning. Our daily, intentional openness and pursuit of God will bring the deepening and clarifying of our soul’s conviction that is so necessary for persevering in the work of justice to be done in our world… we need to open ourselves to doing justice in community.”
“Ask God to remove the despair-driven question “But what could I possibly do to make a difference?” and turn this question into an unceasing prayer - a prayer asking God to show you injustice with God’s very own eyes, asking God to let you live from the mind of Christ that is within you, and asking God to bring his glory in greater measure as you step forward in daily obedience to God above all else.”
“Every day, each one of us receives “letters”... we encounter great discouragement in our lives that… threaten to lock down our hearts into deep burden. As we pursue justice as integral to our daily lives, there will be times when we will be tempted to believe that our God does not hear, that our God does not see, that our God is not able to intervene. But as these “letters” come our way, these discouragements that threaten our commitment to seeking justice, even our own disbelief in God’s power or willingness to act, we are invited like Hezekiah to spread all of this out before the Lord.”
“Were we all fools, ignorantly moving past the pain in the eyes of modern day slaves as we sang of God’s goodness and blessings? Or were we beginning to engage in an act of protest, a community act of opposition to the oppression we were seeing?”
“The entirety of Scripture emphasises that true worship, by definition, must always have us thinking about our neighbours in need, just as loving our neighbour should always flow out of our worship. Justice is always connected to worship, because both worship and justice are about the right ordering of the world.”
“Worship - the declaration of who God is over and against any reality that would vie to mock God’s reign - this was the power for… countless others across the ages, to keep seeking their God against the greatest obstacles, and it will be our power as well.”
Find out more at: https://www.bookdepository.com/Deepening-Soul-for-Justice-Bethany-H-Hoang/9780830834631