Justice Here On Earth?

There is a conflict in scripture that I want to address here- the conflict of whether the wicked will be redressed here on earth, or whether our main hope of justice comes in eternity.

I think, any Christian you talk to is full of hope that justice will happen on earth.  We all want to see the wicked receive their comeuppance...  it's natural to want to see those that grievously sin against the Almighty get what should be coming to them in this life.  If I read Job carefully though, I hear another message.  Oftentimes in life, the wicked seemingly get away with all their sins.

We must learn to trust God with justice.  It's hard!  And frustrating.  I see people who are wicked who never seem to face any consequences for what they do... they have successful existences and seem to do whatever they want without consequences.  It bothers me.  I forget that the peace inside my heart is my own reward for walking faithfully before my God, and that my primary reward for doing good and living right before my maker is in heaven.  We forget so easily that justice does eventually come to everyone!  But hanging on to hope that all the wicked on earth will receive their comeuppance on earth is unrealistic.  Any careful reading of Job shows that one of Job's primary defenses against the accusation that he has sinned and that the trouble currently befalling him is God's justice for his sin, is the fact that even prosperity is no guarantee that one is righteous before his maker.  The wicked often prosper!  And even the times when consequences do befall the wicked, oftentimes those consequences seem minor in comparison to their vast sins.  And the righteous do often suffer, sometimes seemingly unfairly.  We must come to terms with the fact that oftentimes, only in eternity will justice be fully understood.

Don't believe that the wicked will get away with their wickedness forever.  We will all stand before our maker eventually.  God will reward those that gave themselves fully to himself and his will, and will punish those that chose their own way and whose hearts were callous to the plans of God and the needs around them.  I know it's nice to see the wicked reap what they sow on earth, and see the righteous flourish.  Lest we forget, our savior was crucified- if any righteous person deserved a long and happy life, it was Jesus, and they killed him in a really horrible way.  Our craving for justice may go unmet in this life, but it won't go unmet in eternity.  Remember that the next time you make a decision that honors God here on earth, or... the next time you ignore God and go your own way... we all reap what we sow.