Read:
- Ecclesiastes 7:13-29
- Ecclesiastes 8
- Micah 6:8
- Isaiah 46:9-10
What do I do when life feels unfair or doesn’t make sense?
From a very young age, we have a sense of fairness. As children, it might be about who got more cookies or whose turn it is next. But that desire for justice points to something deeper. We care about fairness and justice because God is just and fair. He loves what is right, and he wants us to love it, too.
Instead of focusing on religious rules, God says, “the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8, NLT)
But life doesn’t always reflect those values, does it? Sometimes it seems like good people struggle while bad people get ahead. Sometimes the outcomes we see don’t feel fair at all.
We can’t control how other people live, but we can control how we respond. When we’re faced with injustice, the most helpful question isn’t, “Why is this happening?” but also,“How can I live with integrity, mercy, and faithfulness in the middle of it?”
God is just,and he is faithful. Even when we don’t understand what he’s doing, we can trust that he hasn’t lost control. Through the prophet Isaiah, God reminds his people that his plans and purposes will stand. When life doesn’t make sense, we may not always get the answers we’re looking for, but we can trust the God who sees the full picture.
We see that most clearly in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God is always at work, even when circumstances seem hopeless. Through Jesus, we experience both God’s justice and his mercy. Sin is taken seriously, yet God made a way for us to be forgiven and restored.
God’s love for us doesn’t answer every question we have about suffering or unfairness. But it does give us hope. And when life feels confusing, that hope gives us a reason to keep trusting him.
Pray: God, thank you for being just and merciful. When life feels unfair or confusing, help me to trust in you even when I don’t have all the answers. Give me the courage to live with integrity and the confidence to place my hope in you. Amen.