CNN anchor Don Lemon said once to a Wisconsin sheriff, “We can both walk and chew gun at the same time.” In the same vein, Christians, you absolutely can do both – pray for Justice and the Police at the same time. In wide-spread reaction to what evidently is an accidental shooting of a twenty-year-old man resisting arrest, once again, Americans find themselves in the familiar position of social pressure to pick one side or the other.
The body cam footage of this police officer demonstrates clearly a tragic incident. Our hearts are broken again for a family who has lost a son. All this happens while a trial continues in the death of George Floyd from last year.
The police chief has resigned, the officer resigned, the city manager fired, and the mayor taking over the police department. The Washington Post and other news agencies suggest this is proof of systemic racism rather than an incident of bad policing.
As I read social media – especially that of those who are under 30 years old in my observation of all those I know – young Christians especially find it difficult to balance a love and desire for justice alongside a deep respect and concern for police officers.
Regardless of what ultimately is true as this plays out in due process – as Christians, we should do both – Pray for Justice and the Police.
Further, regardless of what we ultimately think may have been this veteran police officer’s motive, we desire to honor the Lord in everything.
We Desire and Pray for Justice.
One of the verses that I often consider in moments like this and life in general is from the prophet Micha. He wrote:
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? (Micha 6:8)
Justice. Mercy. Humility.
Every follower of God, as those who are in Christ, should love justice, mercy, and humility as Christ. We seek to imitate Christ (Eph 5:1-2). His values become our values as ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor 5:18-20). What Christ demands, as those who love Christ, we desire to obey (John 14:15).
As those who follow Jesus Christ and are motivated by His love for us (2 Cor 5:14-15), we respond with supreme love for Christ and sincere love for our neighbors.
As such, the loudest voice as a group and voices as individuals for justice, mercy, and humility must be ours.
Why? Because we love what God loves. We love our neighbors. We desire what is best for our neighbors. None of us want to see any person treated in any way that is not fitting for those who are made in the image of God. Cruelty cannot be tolerated by anyone on anyone.
To think anything less or otherwise flies in the face of clear biblical teaching! I’ll discuss implications of this below.
We Respect and Pray for the Police.
As those who love God, as we said above, we want to obey God in everything. The Bible clearly articulates the responsibility of those who follow God to respect authority – specifically those in governmental authority acting within their governmental capacity.
Those who serve as law enforcement officers (and, often by extension, those who work alongside them as emergency personnel of all types) place themselves in harm’s way every single day. Every shift as a law enforcement officer brandishes his or her badge, that person chooses to take a very high risk for the welfare of the citizens they serve through whatever government agency for which they work. Every. Single. Time.
Do we want them to function with complete wisdom, prudence, restraint, with all mercy, all self-control, patience, forbearance, and love? Yes.
Do we want them to accurately make every split second judgement call, real-time analysis, and use of force with perfection? Absolutely.
Sadly we realize that in every vocation mistakes are made, poor decisions can get radically worse, and an individual can do a bad job.
When and where these incidences happen, we support full investigations and due process. Why? Because we desire justice, mercy, and want to function in humility.
Where Do We Begin?
Change begins in us. Let me suggest as followers of Christ, four beginning points for following Christ in the midst of turbulent times:
1. We follow God’s Word passionately.
The words of God must ring loudest in our own hearts and deep in our souls: to do justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. As I mentioned above, no one should champion these things more than faithful followers of Christ. We live daily loving God supremely and our neighbors sincerely as those who champion the causes that matter most to God. Nothing else in life matters more than honoring God functionally as we engage our neighbors, communities, and society.
2. We pray for justice.
Each one of us should pray diligently for justice daily – not simply in these very public cases. We should not wait until the next case to care about it; instead, each of us should live life daily with a great dose of somber reflection as we consider justice, as we love mercy, and seek to walk humbly. Justice should be a matter of genuine concern and diligent prayer. Where we can do more, we should. But the least we can do and must do is pray for justice.
3. We pray for police.
Each one of us should pray diligently for our police and law enforcement officers daily. These individuals serve with potential risk daily. They make split-second decisions. They respond to people who actively respond to them. Even in light of this event, I have taken the teenage drivers in my home aside and once again reviewed how to respond to police whenever they pull you over. My children have been pulled over for expired tags, among many other things. With three children who get behind the wheel of a car, I pray for both my children and the police daily. I want both of them to respond wisely to each other.
4. We pray for our neighbors.
Just as I mentioned I pray for my children and the police, we need to see broader. Each citizen falls under the category of neighbor just as each law enforcement officer does as well. For that reason, as those who love God and our neighbors, we want to pray for their peace and safety. I want my local law enforcement officer to have a terrific and safe day. I also desire those in my community to not have any unnecessary or less than positive interactions with any officer as well. But where those two people meet, our prayer is that God is honored by both – with both choosing to love God and neighbor and acting accordingly.
May God be honored and help us all as we live in this one nation under God together.
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KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
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