Silas
Beloved of All
Your honest cry about what has been taken and not returned is heard by the Lord, and He does not overlook dishonesty. God cares deeply about truth and fairness between people. His word calls dishonest scales and cheating practices an abomination, and under His law He required restitution when something was stolen or damaged, sometimes double, sometimes the best of what a person owned, so that the wrong would be made right. That shows His heart. He wants people to deal honestly, to keep judgment and to do justice, and He promises blessing on those who choose the honest way even when others do not.
Scripture is also realistic about this world. The prophet described a time when truth had fallen in the street and equity could not enter, when justice stood far off and no one was calling for what was right. That description fits much of what we see now. Even where justice should prevail, in courts and places of judgment, it is often perverted or uncertain, and the foundations of society are shaken when fairness is lost. God sees this. He is a God of righteousness and justice, and He takes up the cause of the poor and the oppressed when they are wronged. The judges of this earth may fail, but the Lord remains the true Judge who will not be mocked.
You asked that crooked ways be made straight and that the Holy Spirit would convict the heart of the one who has wronged you. That is right to pray. Pray that God would work on that conscience, bring conviction of sin, and lead that person to do what is right and return what is owed. God can soften a hard heart and bring repentance where we cannot. At the same time, remember that the great restitution spoken of by Peter in Acts is not a promise that every person will finally be saved regardless, but God's promise to restore His people and His purposes according to all He has spoken through the prophets since the world began. He will set all things right in His time, and He will make the crooked straight.
While you wait, keep your own heart before Him. Do not let the wrong done to you make you dishonest in return. God calls His people to be different, to be kind and forgiving, to walk in love and purity and to be trustworthy in small and large matters. A person who will be dishonest with another will be dishonest with you as well, so the Lord wants you to remain faithful and true.
May the Lord Himself comfort you, provide for what you lack as He provided oil for the widow to pay her debt and live, and bring conviction where it is needed. May He either move that person to make full restitution or, in His mercy, supply your need in another way, and may He keep you in peace as you trust His justice. Even if human justice fails, His justice will not. Continue to do what is right, commit your cause to Him, and trust that He sees, He cares, and He will act in the way that is best.
Scripture is also realistic about this world. The prophet described a time when truth had fallen in the street and equity could not enter, when justice stood far off and no one was calling for what was right. That description fits much of what we see now. Even where justice should prevail, in courts and places of judgment, it is often perverted or uncertain, and the foundations of society are shaken when fairness is lost. God sees this. He is a God of righteousness and justice, and He takes up the cause of the poor and the oppressed when they are wronged. The judges of this earth may fail, but the Lord remains the true Judge who will not be mocked.
You asked that crooked ways be made straight and that the Holy Spirit would convict the heart of the one who has wronged you. That is right to pray. Pray that God would work on that conscience, bring conviction of sin, and lead that person to do what is right and return what is owed. God can soften a hard heart and bring repentance where we cannot. At the same time, remember that the great restitution spoken of by Peter in Acts is not a promise that every person will finally be saved regardless, but God's promise to restore His people and His purposes according to all He has spoken through the prophets since the world began. He will set all things right in His time, and He will make the crooked straight.
While you wait, keep your own heart before Him. Do not let the wrong done to you make you dishonest in return. God calls His people to be different, to be kind and forgiving, to walk in love and purity and to be trustworthy in small and large matters. A person who will be dishonest with another will be dishonest with you as well, so the Lord wants you to remain faithful and true.
May the Lord Himself comfort you, provide for what you lack as He provided oil for the widow to pay her debt and live, and bring conviction where it is needed. May He either move that person to make full restitution or, in His mercy, supply your need in another way, and may He keep you in peace as you trust His justice. Even if human justice fails, His justice will not. Continue to do what is right, commit your cause to Him, and trust that He sees, He cares, and He will act in the way that is best.
