You lift me up on the wind; you make me ride on it, and you toss me about in the roar of the storm.
Job 30:22
“And I said, Lord, if I get out of this jail alive, I want to preach a Gospel that is strong enough to destroy some of this madness—this hatred.” John M. Perkins—co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association and activist for Justice and Reconciliation.
These were his thoughts after being badly beaten, arrested, and put in a jail cell by Jackson, Mississippi police officers in 1970. Suffering, oppression and racism were upon him, and many others like him.
C.S. Lewis argues that God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, and yells in our suffering. As John M. Perkins sat in a cold jail cell, contemplating the choice at hand—revenge or forgiveness, hate or love—perhaps in the face of his hatred and suffering, he was reminded of the Gospel.
Even though we may be snatched, and driven before the wind. Although we may be tossed about in the storm. Let justice roll down like a river, and righteousness like an overflowing flood.
Our confidence is in Jesus—our champion. The One who comes to save. The One who took hatred and injustice upon Himself—so we may face suffering with overwhelming hope and an unrelenting confidence.
Corey Garrity
Redeemer Redwood City, Minister to Youth and Young Adults