How frustrating it is to witness God work within the boundary of the freewill He has given to humanity.
How maddening to walk in a world where God won’t coerce His creation.
How utterly, infuriatingly good of Him. 

When Christians choose to turn their backs on the suffering out of some misguided sense of piety, or leaders choose to go to war, or fathers choose to rape their children, I want a god of lightning and thunder. A god who will use his omnipotence to crush the very bones of evil under a single vengeful finger.

But the God of the Bible (despite what we might be led to believe) is not that god. If I want violence to rain down upon the enemies of good I can’t depend on Him. If I want to see evil men brought to shame and ridicule by His hand I can’t turn to Him. 

For God to do what I so desire to see done, he would have to resort to violence. He would have to use His power to force people to His will. He would have to violate our free will. Instead He weaves Himself into our ways, never succumbing to our violence, yet always responding to those who beg the heavens for mercy and justice for the forgotten and the abused and the oppressed. 

On top of it all, God requests a terrible thing:

“Repay no one evil for evil … ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’ … Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”*

In essence, He asks that enemies be loved and persecutors be lifted up in prayer.

I would walk away, if it weren’t for those words ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’.

In the centre of His request God says that He will ultimately repay evil. Though, I would be lying to myself if I still believed it looked anything like my wishes.

He will repay evil with the full goodness of His character. So much goodness and so much love that evil will not be able to survive against it.

And I ask myself, am I really ready to follow that God? Am I really ready to honour the freewill of those who would hurt me? Am I really ready to pray for those who have damaged others? Am I really ready to love those who have done unspeakable evil?

What a terrible, humbling responsibility. To entrust justice to God, and to do the work alongside Him as He would see it be done. 

It could be the most difficult thing God asks.

And I beg Heaven to give me the strength to follow.

*Romans 12:17, 19, 21