The Lord has blessed my wife and me with four children, and the two oldest who are 6yo and 4yo have developed a strong sense of justice. Even last night, my 2yo daughter’s growing sense of justice was shining through. I doubt a day goes by that I don’t hear them tell their mother, “Mom, that’s not fair!” or me, “Dad, that’s not fair!” Unfortunately, their sense of justice is often misguided.
How often have you said to your heavenly Father, “That’s not fair!”? We say it with such raw “righteousness” in our voice. Even Tuesday I heard a new pastor friend make the statement that “God is fair.” Really? He is? Is that really what we want? Do we really want fairness from God?
I was reminded immediately of a humorous and perfect illustration from RC Sproul on our desire for fairness from God. Listen below:
Now, do you and I still want fairness from God? No way! Fairness from God, which is getting what we deserve, which would be that every human being ever would be in Hell. Fairness for me? No thank you!
Brother, sister, we should not be crying to God for fairness. We should be crying to God for grace and mercy. “God, please give me what I do not deserve and what I have not earned!” God could be fair, but He’s not. God is gracious!!!! And that’s good news!
As Dave Ramsey so famously says on his daily radio program when people ask him how he’s doing, he always says, “Better than I deserve!” May that be our statement as we relish in God’s grace and rejoice that He is not a God who is fair!!!
One Comment
Right on! Good article. “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner!”