CRIMES AND GANGS
Read Luke 15:11-24
As we continue to pray for justice, ask “Judge of all the earth, thank you for
the blessings of our society and economy. Please make this city a fairer
place for everyone to through…
Justice (vs 14)
Give thanks for areas where justice has been most advanced in recent decades:
perhaps in fairer trade practices, corporate responsibility, greater access to
education and jobs, or growing gender and racial equality. Yet there are many
areas in our economy and society where justice continues to be “driven back”.
Bring some of these before God now.
Righteousness (vs 14)
Ask God’s forgiveness for any times when you have stood “at a distance” by not
acting fairly in how you speak, act, or spend. Pray that you would increasingly
act with “righteousness”– doing what is right and fair in God’s eyes. Pray too that
our city’s wider culture would further embrace justice.
Truth (vs 15)
“There can be no liberty for a community that lacks the means to detect lies,” said
the journalist Walter Lippmann. In a fake-news culture, lies and half-truths are
used to justify injustice. Confess any ways that you have contributed to the problem
through your own distortions of the truth recently. Pray that people would come
to Jesus—”the truth”—and then become passionate advocates of truth that leads
to justice.
Intervention (vs 16)
Pray for those tasked with intervening to bring justice; the judiciary and police,
financial watchdogs, regulators, charities, and non-governmental organizations.
Ask God to give them great wisdom and tireless persistence in their work.
Salvation (vs 16)
Praise God for the ultimate salvation from all injustice that Jesus Christ has
achieved and will one day totally fulfil. Pray that all those who carry out
injustice, particularly through financial corruption or social oppression,
would come to experience the salvation that Jesus Christ offers.
