You are plagued with frustration because a bad guy (girl) is getting away with awful things. This person seems to have an easy life and gets away with exploiting others, abusing people, chasing greed. S(he) is surrounded by people who believe the facade, who seem to need to believe.

You see through. Even when the person boasts their Christianity.

You notice the aftermath in the wake of the person’s life. You discern sociopathic ways, threads of narcissism. And sometimes you feel alone.

And you wonder, does God see this? Why do bad people happen to good people? Click to tweet. Why do some seem to get away with lawbreaking, while others suffer injustice? Why do conmen keep conning? Why do Ponzi schemes continue to flourish? Why do some church leaders exploit their flock?

When you keep your eyes on the earth and what unjust people do for the sake of their appetites, you might despair. Because folks seem to have a Get Out Of Consequences Free Card. Click to tweet.

You may have even said something. Stuck your neck out. Got burned, maligned, misunderstood. You go to sleep at night tasting and rehashing the injustice, praying God would mete consequences, hoping what is dark will come to light. You spend a lot of time waiting.

If you’ve ever felt that way, take heart. So many others have walked that lonely path before you, particularly King David, the man after God’s heart. His psalms echo a desire to see justice, a railing against enemies aplenty. Go ahead and bookmark this blog so you can meditate and consider these quotations and scriptures. I pray these 18 truths bring solace.

One. God’s justice is perfect and will prevail:

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:30-21

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19

Two. Don’t let injustice immobilize you from doing right and telling the truth:

Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” Flannery O’Connor

‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. Leviticus 19:15

Three. Don’t give into pride in your “rightness.”

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5:5.

Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise. Proverbs 13:10 Click to tweet.

Four. Turn the magnifying glass on yourself & get the log out of your own eye:

If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored. It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them. Proverbs 13:18-19

Five. Remember that some people may NEVER EVER learn. They may hit rock bottom and keep going down…

Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his folly will not depart from him. Proverbs 27:22

He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing. Proverbs 29:1

Six. If the person you’re stressed about had done nothing to you, be careful of meddling:

Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. Proverbs 3:30

Seven. Know that there are consequences you can’t see. Greedy people have sorrowful hearts.

The sorrow of those who run after another god shall multiply. Psalm 16:4a

Eight. Some of the Christians you’re bothered about may not be Jesus followers after all. They might be posers or scoundrels:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’Matthew 7:21-23

“And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ…For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.” 2 Corinthians 11:12, 20

Nine. God sees. A perpetrator cannot pull the wool over the Almighty’s eyes. Click to tweet.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3

Ten. Let God hold your reputation. Stop micromanaging and defending yourself.

“The sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on Jesus Christ’s errands, there is no time to stand up for ourselves.” Oswald Chambers

Eleven. No matter how others act, your responsibility is first to serve Jesus.

“We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander or praise us.” 2 Cor 6:8a

“Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.” Colossians 4:17

Twelve. There is always another side to the story, so don’t be quick to jump to a conclusion based on one person’s words.

The first to speak in court sounds righteous until the cross-examination begins. Proverbs 18:17

Thirteen. Truth: There are greedy Christian leaders out there. Again, God sees.

You prophets won’t prophecy unless you are paid, yet all of you claim to depend upon the Lord. Micah 3:11

Fourteen. We are to pray for our enemies and for those who persecute us. It’s our act of quiet love.

“One of the most profound ways you can love someone is to pray for them.” Bob Sorge Click to tweet.

Fifteen. You cannot ever know someone’s motives. You can look at actions, but not discern the heart. That is God’s job.

Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our heart. 1 Thessalonians 2:4

Sixteen. Trying to one-up a bully never ends well.

“Trying to co-op or win over (a bully) is always a mistake, because it means trading in your authenticity for approval. You stop believing in your worthiness and start hustling for it.” Brene Brown

Seventeen. Let slander do something good in your heart, even though it’s hard.

“As much as I hated it when people slandered me, this was the very thing God used to compel me nearer to His heart.” Francis Frangipane

Eighteen. Pray like David when you’re discouraged.

Help me, O Lord my God!
    Save me because of your unfailing love.
²⁷ Let them see that this is your doing,
    that you yourself have done it, Lord.
²⁸ Then let them curse me if they like,
    but you will bless me!
When they attack me, they will be disgraced!
    But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!
²⁹ May my accusers be clothed with disgrace;
    may their humiliation cover them like a cloak.
³⁰ But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord,
    praising him to everyone.
³¹ For he stands beside the needy,
    ready to save them from those who condemn them. Psalm 109:26-31

…

The picture to the right of the graphic above reads RESPONSIBILITY. I took it at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg this year. So many people, during the Apartheid era, were lulled into thinking living that way was just. But there were several people who saw the injustice. Suffered for it. Told the truth about it. Wondered if the evil would ever be exposed.

Truth won, eventually. People were set free.

And so when you worry about the current bully or bad guy (girl) getting away with injustice, remember that truth has a way of pushing toward the forefront. Be faithful where you are. Ask God to show you what to do, then obey implicitly. Entrust the outcomes to Him.

Q4u: Have you ever felt alone when discerning and confronting injustice? When has a bad guy (girl) seemed to have won, only to be discovered? What have you learned in the waiting?