God's Glory Church

Why are we outraged by injustice?

Have you ever experienced jealousy and irritation? In fact, if you put your hand on your heart, we all feel jealous and irritated from time to time because of unpleasant circumstances. We are especially deeply outraged when people who commit evil and lawlessness (for example, corrupt people or those who abuse power) prosper and do well. Our mind refuses to accept it, puzzles do not come together.
Imagine the situation: a man complains to his pastor that envy is eating him alive because a neighbor bought a new car and a colleague won a big prize. When he is advised to sincerely pray for his neighbor every morning, knowing that God will bless him too, the man refuses, preferring to suffer himself rather than see how the godless “luxuriates for a fool.” We very often have this attitude: we do not want to pray for those who do evil, and we do not wish for their repentance. But just for such moments, when our heart hurts because of other people’s successes, the Lord left in Psalm 37 a very effective recipe – a kind of “valerian for the righteous”.

Free yourself from envy and anger

“Do not be annoyed by those who do evil. Do not envy those who commit iniquity. Because like grass, they will soon be cut down and wither like green shoots.”
(Psalm 37:1-2)

The first important tip is that we need to let go of envy and anger. The psalmist emphasizes that the success of evildoers is temporary. They are like grass: today it is green, and tomorrow it is cut, dries up and turns into hay. Understanding that all this is temporary helps us not to waste our own emotional energy on irritation. Everything that robs you of peace today, all the people who annoy you – they are temporary in your life. It is difficult for us to admit our own envy, so we often disguise it as “righteous anger”, convincing ourselves that we care about God’s honor, when in reality we are just tormented by the fact that “someone has better toys”.

Don’t take revenge, but trust God

“Trust in the Lord and do good. Live on earth and be faithful. Rejoice in the Lord, and He will satisfy the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, rely on Him, and He will act. He will reveal your righteousness like the light, and your justice like the noon.”
(Psalm 37:3-6)

David suggests a change of focus: instead of focusing on the actions of the wicked, he advises to hope in the Lord and do good. When you shift the responsibility for punishing other people to God, you free up a lot of time and energy to serve others. God does not call to give up, on the contrary, He calls to do good in anticipation of His judgment.

However, very often we are like the man in the parable who tried to find peace by hiding his problems in an iron box. He locked them up, hid them in a cave, but then sat next to her for six days and guarded them so that no one stole them. True peace does not come if we do not give God the keys to our lives. Hope in God is not just a psychological trick, it is a conscious decision to trust the end of our story in His reliable hands.

Find joy and peace in the Lord

“Be still in the Lord and trust in Him. Do not be annoyed by the fact that someone is lucky on his way… Refrain from rage and do not be angry, do not be hot-tempered, because this only leads to evil. After all, all who commit a crime will be destroyed, and those who trust in the Lord will inherit the earth. It won’t be long… and he won’t become unholy. Only the meek will inherit the earth and enjoy great peace.”
(Psalm 37:7-11)

You will not find joy and peace in this world, only in a personal meeting with the Creator. As Jesus told His disciples: rejoice not because the demons obey you, but because your names are written in heaven. All earthly achievements and even miracles are temporary, the most important thing is our salvation and relationship with God. Peace comes through meekness, when we humble ourselves and choose to trust God even when nothing around us has yet changed.

Testimony of faith: Spiritual freedom of Danylo Yefimov

To understand the power of this trust, it is worth looking at the story of 21-year-old Danylo Yefimov. This young man was born in Donetsk region, lived under occupation, and while trying to leave through Russia in 2023, he was detained because of several donations to the Prytula fund (in total, about 5,200 hryvnias). The Russian court sentenced him to 12 years in prison. Despite being in prison for three years, he reads the Bible a lot, knows it by heart, cleans the prison church and maintains incredible inner peace.

After receiving letters of support from Ukrainians, Danilo replied:

“Actually, everything is fine. If you understand why this situation occurs, life becomes much easier… God is love. He allows trials for a person only with love, not in order to break him, but so that he, having been purified, will be saved. The Lord wants to teach us all to pity one another, love, support, tolerate… This situation is sent to all of us in order to strengthen us in spirit.”

Being in a physical prison, Danylo is spiritually free. He found God there, he found peace and joy, while we, being free, often allow the small circumstances of life to drive us into a spiritual cage of irritation and despair.

Call: Make your choice today

Make a decision not to let life’s circumstances destroy your heart. Start every morning, no matter how broken you wake up, to seek God. Look to Him for the peace, tranquility and joy that only He can give. Give Him control, trust your life and let Him work.