Lord of justice and mercy,
You speak against the twisting of truth
against false reports,
malicious witnesses,
and the pull to join the crowd in wrongdoing.
You call me to fairness even toward my enemies,
to return what is lost,
to lift up what is burdened,
to see even those who oppose me through Your eyes.
You warn against bribes that blind judgment
and against oppressing the sojourner,
reminding me that I too was once a stranger,
helpless until You delivered me.
You anchor justice in remembrance
calling me to remember Your compassion,
how You rescued when there was no rescue,
how You brought light into the darkness.
Lord, we also remember the pain sown into our nation’s story
the scars of hatred,
the devastation of violence,
the grief that lingers from the enemy’s destruction.
And yet, even here, You are our hope.
Where horror sought to consume,
Your mercy still sustains.
Where fear sought to scatter,
Your love still gathers.
Though evil may wound deeply,
it cannot erase Your promise
that in Christ, one day, all wrongs will be made right.
You set before us rhythms of mercy
fields resting for the poor and the wild,
days of work followed by a day of rest,
festivals of deliverance, gratitude, and joy.
You remind us that justice is not only about law,
but about the shape of life itself
a life ordered by Your redemption,
a community bound together in worship and hope.
So, Lord, keep my lips from falsehood,
my hands from corruption,
and my heart from hardness.
Teach me to labor with faith,
to rest with trust,
and to walk with hope
knowing that though the enemy destroys,
Jesus reigns.
Though hatred scars,
the cross heals.
Though wrongs endure for a time,
the day is coming when You will restore all things.
In the name of Jesus,
the Truth who cannot be bribed,
the Lord of the Sabbath,
and the Judge who makes all things new,
Amen.