It frustrates me when I see good and godly people try to do the right thing and suffer unfairly
and unjustly for it. It’s hard to watch this happen without somehow doubting the fairness and justice of God.
In Genesis chapter 40, you find Joseph continuing to quietly and consistently do the right thing. You would think he would be rewarded for his integrity, but by the end of the chapter, Joseph is not only unrewarded, he’s forgotten…and I’m frustrated. But I’m only frustrated if I stop reading at chapter 40.
If I look beyond chapter 40 to chapter 41, my attitude changes. When I look beyond chapter 40, I begin to see God bringing the pieces of the puzzle together and working things out.
Maybe that’s my problem with injustice in the world today. Maybe I need to look further out. If I look further out, I find that God will not abandon His people. (Hebrews 13:5) (Matthew 28:20). If I look further out, I know that God will sovereignly right wrongs and turn them for the good of His people. (1 Corinthians 10:13) (Romans 8:28) (Galatians 6:9).
When I experience injustice, my frustration comes from leaving my focus on what I see right now, rather than what God promises will eventually be. I encourage you not to get stuck in your chapter 40 of unfairness and injustice. Chapter 41 is next!
Do you feel you’re being treated unfairly? Has trying to do the right thing backfired on you? If so, go back to the Scriptures listed above, and find one that will help you look beyond the injustice to what is to come.
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.