Lynne Baab

Praying about the flow of time: World Day of Social Justice

Lynne Baab • Wednesday February 19 2025

I wonder what comes to mind when you think of the terms “justice” and “social justice.” Are they the same? Similar? Is justice an umbrella term with social justice only one type of justice?

February 20 is World Day of Social Justice, established in 2007 by the United Nations. On the UN page about the day, the header says, “Strengthening a Just Transition for a Sustainable Future.” Some of the themes mentioned on that page include caring for the most vulnerable, fighting poverty, reducing inequality, and opening up opportunities for all. This requires “a holistic approach that weaves environmental sustainability with social justice.”

As someone who cares passionately for this beautiful earth God made, I was thrilled to see that they emphasized the connections between environmental sustainability and care for all humans.

You undoubtedly know that justice is an important theme throughout the Bible. The word “justice” appears 132 times in the Old Testament and 15 times in the New Testament. Sometimes, it refers to punishment for evil deeds. Many times it is used as a core characteristic of God, often linked to righteousness and care for the vulnerable. The biblical passages about justice show how deeply humans long for justice and how much God wants to bring justice to our broken yet beautiful earth.

What comes to mind when you think of the word “justice”? People who have done evil acts finally receive punishment? The administration of the law? Fairness for all? A phrase I liked when we lived in New Zealand was “a fair go.” It means that all people will receive equitable treatment, and hard work and honesty will be rewarded in an unbiased way. In my mind, “a fair go” is at least part of the justice we long for and that God brings.

Oddly, the word “social” does not appear in the Bible. But of course the Bible is a story of relationships between people and God, the essence of what the word “social” means.

In celebration of World Day of Social Justice, I want to give you a few biblical passages and themes about justice that illuminate its meaning and help us pray for justice in our world.

1. Refusing bribes appears several times in the passages in the Bible about justice. We might call this a micro view of justice, and we would benefit from brainstorming other micro components of justice. Here’s Deuteronomy 16:19: “You must not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.”

2. Justice is a fundamental characteristic of God, which we might call a macro view of justice. That idea is expressed in dozens of passages. From Psalm 97.2: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” Psalm 101:1, attributed to David: “I will sing of loyalty and of justice: to you, O Lord, I will sing.”

3. Biblical justice involves being careful in how we treat vulnerable people, which in the Bible often means resident aliens, orphans, and widows. Deuteronomy 24.17 says, “You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge.” Psalm 82.3 is one of many passages that repeat that idea: “Give justiceto the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.”

4. Justice is something that we do, an action or series of actions, not just a principle, ideal, or character trait. Micah 6:8 is often quoted. Look at the verb that goes with justice: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Isaiah 1:17 encourages us to “seek justice.”

When Jesus criticizes the Pharisees in Luke 11:42, he accuses them of neglecting justice and not practicing it. “Practice” implies action. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justiceand the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others.” Countless heroes of faith are described in the majestic eleventh chapter of Hebrews. In verses 32 to 34, numerous people are mentioned with 11 actions attributed to them, done “through faith.” One of those actions is “administered justice.” Again, this implies actions.

To pray for justice, I want to build on these four themes I’ve presented from the Bible.

1. We can pray about the actions that make up justice, asking God to guide us into small and big actions relevant in our time. I don’t think bribery is a huge deal for many of us in our everyday lives today, but its use in various passsages demonstrates that justice is make up of specific components. 

2. When we praise and thank God, we can remember justice as a core characteristic of God.

3. We can pray for guidance to see the ways we can care for people who are marginalized and vulnerable in our world, including those impacted by environmental degredation.

4. We can remember that justice is an action or series of actions. We can ask for the Holy Spirit’s discernment of what God is calling us to do and empowerment to do it. We can pray for God's guidance and strength for those who work on the front lines of ministries that bring justice in all areas of life.

I will sing of loyalty and of justice: to you, O Lord, I will sing. We praise you that you are bringing justice to earth. We long for it. We pray for it. We ask for guidance for our part in it. Jesus, be our model. Holy Spirit, guide and empower us.

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Next week: preparing for Lent. Illustration by Dave Baab: Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany.

Lent starts on March 5. I want to recommend my beautiful Lenten Devotional, Draw Near. I call it beautiful because each entry is illustrated by one of my husband Dave’s amazing watercolors. For each day of Lent, I suggest a psalm and give some brief reflection questions. It’s available in paperback and for Kindle. My Kindle shows Dave’s watercolors in black and white, but if you read it on a Kindle app on a phone or laptop, his watercolors are gorgeous, back lit and glowing. If you are reading this post outside the United States, visit the amazon.com closest to you for the best postage rates for the book.  

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Lynne M. Baab, Ph.D., is an author and adjunct professor. She has written numerous books, Bible study guides, and articles for magazines and journals. Lynne is passionate about prayer and other ways to draw near to God, and her writing conveys encouragement for readers to be their authentic selves before God. She encourages experimentation and lightness in Christian spiritual practices. Read more »

Lynne is pleased to announce the release of her two 2024 books, both of them illustrated with her talented husband Dave's watercolors. She is thrilled at how good the watercolors look in the printed books, and in the kindle versions, if read on a phone, the watercolors glow. Friendship, Listening and Empathy: A Prayer Guide guides the reader into new ways to pray about the topics in the title. Draw Near: A Lenten Devotional guides the reader to a psalm for each day of Lent and offers insightful reflection/discussion questions that can be used alone or in groups. 

Another recent book is Two Hands: Grief and Gratitude in the Christian  Life, available in paperback, audiobook, and for kindle. Lynne's 2018 book is Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care for the Twenty-First Century, and her most popular book is Sabbath-Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest (now available as an audiobook as well as paperback and kindle). You can see her many other book titles here, along with her Bible study guides.

You can listen to Lynne talk about these topics: empathy, bringing spiritual practices to life. Sabbath keeping for recent grads., and Sabbath keeping for families and children.

Lynne was interviewed for the podcast "As the Crow Flies". The first episode focuses on why listening matters and the second one on listening skills. 

Here are two talks Lynne gave on listening (recorded in audio form on YouTube): Listening for Mission and Ministry and Why Listening Matters for Mission and Ministry.

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"Dear Dr. Baab, You changed my life. It is only through God’s gift of the sabbath that I feel in my heart and soul that God loves me apart from anything I do."
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