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We had a great week with VBS with all the children and while we never heard it during the week, one of the things we often hear kids say is, that’s not fair. Children learn early on how to evaluate the size of cookies, the amount of ice cream in a dish, or how many pieces of candy they get compared to their siblings and if they don’t get the same amount they are quick to say, that’s not fair. Being the youngest in the family is especially hard because it didn’t seem fair that my sisters got to stay up later than I did. One of my sisters was very skilled at asking what time it was when it was time for me to go to bed. My mom would say, oh it’s 7:30, Andy time for you to go to bed. I’m sure I wore out the phrase, that’s not fair. On family trips I’m sure the phrase gets used often. It’s not fair she gets to sit up front, or by the window, or pick the music.
It’s hard to teach children that sometimes life isn’t fair, but let’s be honest, as adults, we struggle with the same thoughts on fairness. How many times have you sat in a restaurant and seen someone who was seated after you got served before you and think, that’s not fair. Or you're standing in line at a store, and someone is served before you even though you had clearly been standing there longer. Or you hear about someone getting a better deal on a car or a better interest rate when your credit scores are the same. We also are quick to say, that’s not fair.
If you have worked with children and youth in sports or in school, you hear, that’s not fair often. It’s not fair that some children get to play more minutes than others. Or that some don’t get to play at all. Or that some students get chosen for everything in school while others get chosen for nothing. Or if your grade point average is just a few hundreds of a point from making the honor society and you are excluded. Come on, that’s just not fair.
Sometimes the issue of fairness goes much deeper and can be difficult and painful. It’s not fair that some children get sick, and others don’t. The randomness of cancer is not fair. It’s not fair that the driver of a car who caused a fatal accident walked away when others didn't. It’s not fair that some people are able to have children effortlessly while others struggle with infertility. It’s not fair that some people get all the financial breaks while others are always struggling.
We often long for fairness in this world but we know that many times life isn’t fair. At least three times a year, the people of Israel would have made their way to Jerusalem for religious festivals and times of worship, and they too would have been struggling with this idea of fairness. As people gathered from all over the region, some would have been doing well in life while others would be experiencing tragedy. Life wasn’t fair. Some would have had a great harvest while others may have lost everything due to drought and disease. Some would have been blessed with children, some would still be waiting for children, and some would have given up hope of ever having them. Life wasn’t fair.
One of the Psalms of Ascent, Psalm 130, reminds us that while life isn’t always fair, at times that can be a good thing. Psalm 130 video
Psalm 130 is 1 of only 7 penitential psalms in the Bible and the only penitential psalm in the collection of psalms known as the Psalms of Ascent. A penitential psalm expresses sorrow for either the consequences of sin or for the tragedy and struggles that come with life. The psalm begins, Psalm 130:1-2
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
The author is literally feeling like they are in the pit of despair. We don’t know here if they are in despair because of the unfairness of life and the trials and tragedies that happen to all of us at times, or if they are in despair because of the consequences of their actions. The next verse, however, leads us to think that their despair was because of their sin. If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? Psalm 130:3a
This is where we begin to see that the unfairness in life can be a good thing because if God kept a record of our sin and held us accountable for our sin, we would not be able to stand, but God doesn’t hold our sin against us. What would be fair would be God holding our sin against us, but with God there is grace and mercy and love. In this case, because life isn’t fair, in our despair and in our sin we know that:
God listens to us
God forgives us
God heals us
God redeems us.
Out of the pit of despair, the psalmist cries out to God and even though they were in the pit because of their own failure or bad choices, they could still cry out to God and trust that God would listen. All those times we don’t listen to God and end up in a mess, God is still willing to listen to us.
If life was fair, God would say, look, I told you not to do that. I gave you clear direction in my word, I gave you guidance through other people, I impressed on your heart not to do those things and you did them anyway - why should I listen to you now? If life was fair God wouldn’t listen to us when we cry out to Him in the depth of our sin and despair, but life isn’t fair and that’s a good thing. God does listen and God’s compassion is there to help us.
Since we are underwater today, let’s think about the story of Jonah. Jonah was called by God to go to Nineveh, a large and wicked city, to tell the people to repent and turn to God. Jonah didn’t want to go there so he literally started to go in the other direction. He got on a boat and headed toward the other end of the world.
During their voyage, God sent a storm to stop Jonah’s progress and in the midst of the storm, the sailors got together and decided that the storm was a sign that someone was in trouble. Finally, Jonah told them that he was running from his God and that to save their ship and their lives they needed to throw him overboard.
As a last resort, they did just that and as Jonah was sinking into the sea, he was swallowed by a big fish sent from God. Jonah didn’t deserve to be saved, but he was and from inside the fish, Jonah said,
I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. Jonah 2:2
Once again, Jonah didn’t deserve any kind of help from God because he had chosen to run away. Jonah didn’t want to follow God’s will and he didn’t care about the people of Nineveh but God rescued Jonah when he was tossed into the sea and then God listened to Jonah when he cried out from inside the fish.
We don’t always deserve God’s mercy and grace, and when we make a mess of our lives, we don’t deserve God turning his ear to listen to us, but he dies. When we are in need and cry out to God, God hears us. When I first went to college, I wanted to remake myself into someone who was a little more outgoing and fun. I didn’t want to be the good church kid anymore so I actually prayed, God put me on a party floor.
I got exactly what I prayed for and God could have just left it at that. That would have been the fair thing to do, after all, it was what I asked for, but God heard another cry, a deeper cry of my heart, and God showed me another way to live. God provided Christian people to come and walk alongside me and love me into a deeper relationship with Jesus. I am so glad that there are times God is not fair and doesn’t give us what we deserve.
God listens to our cry and God forgives our sin. Psalm 130:4
But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
God forgives us when we don’t deserve it. We can't stand before God in our own goodness and righteousness. There is no one who is perfect, the Bible says, not one. On our own we only deserve to be punished for our sin, but we aren’t punished because we aren’t on our own before God. Jesus stands with us. He intercedes for us and because of Christ with us, God extends His grace and mercy to us. We don’t deserve it and we don’t earn it, but with God there is forgiveness.
God’s forgiveness doesn’t mean we are always lifted out of the consequences of our sin, there are times we have to endure the painful times or work through the mess we have created, but the mess and our sin doesn’t separate us from God forever. We can all be grateful that God isn’t fair when it comes to our sin and that God is willing to forgive. God’s mercy toward us should make us more willing to extend mercy to others
God’s forgiveness should lead us to forgive others, but the truth is that when we have been hurt, we are more interested in fairness than mercy. When we have been hurt, we look for people to make things right with us before we offer any kind of grace to them. We need to turn this around. As God freely forgives us - we should freely forgive others. At times this doesn’t seem fair or right, but it is Christlike and part of what it means to follow Jesus.
With God’s forgiveness and grace comes healing. It may not come in an instant, but it comes. Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
While God extends grace and mercy, and His forgiveness leads to new life, we know that this new life doesn’t always come at once. The gift of healing can be a process. Like the psalmist says, there are times we have to wait for God to heal and transform us but we wait with conviction and assurance that this new life is coming.
Twice the psalmist says that they wait for this hope of new life more than the watchman waits for the morning. Those who watch for the morning are never disappointed. It always comes. There is always a new day and just as the new day comes so will God’s healing and new life come. Depending on our circumstances we might have to wait a long time, or work through the consequences of our sin or the trials of our situation, but healing and new life comes. With God new life always comes.
As we wait, we also find assurance and strength in God’s world. In his word I put my hope. Reading God’s word brings hope. Hearing God’s word brings hope. Learning, studying, and meditating on God’s word, and singing it, like the people did on the way to Jerusalem, brings hope. These psalms were part of God’s word that gave people hope as they made their journey to Jerusalem. These same words give us hope today. It can be a difficult journey but in God’s word we always find hope.
And finally, our hope and assurance is that God will redeem us. Psalm 130:7-8
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
There is full redemption with God. He will not only forgive us and heal us but He will redeem us. Redemption means that we get another chance to make things right and live for God.
Jonah was given another chance. God spit Jonah out onto dry ground and when He did, Jonah was closer to Nineveh than when God first called him. Jonah did make the trip to Nineveh and he did tell the people to repent and while his attitude wasn’t very good, Jonah did do what God asked him to do and the people turned toward God. Jonah was given a second chance and the people were given a second chance.
We are also given another chance at life and faith when we are willing to cry out to God, seek forgiveness and healing, and then allow the unfailing love of God to fill us. When we turn to God, God is always willing to turn to us and offer new life. For the people heading to Jerusalem to worship God, this psalm reminded them that while they didn’t deserve God’s grace and mercy, it was there for them. It was always there for them.
No matter who you are today, no matter what you might be going through, no matter how much of a mess you may have made in life, or how unfair life has been, God is there to listen. God is there to forgive. God is there to heal you and redeem you. God is there to call you back and give you another chance at life and faith. It isn’t fair that God does this because we have failed on so many levels, but this is where life not being fair is a good thing.
Let me close by reminding us why we get what isn’t fair, it’s because Jesus also got what wasn’t fair. Jesus was the perfect one, the spotless lamb of God, the fullness of God in the flesh, the one who was without sin and so deserved only life, but Jesus was willing to pay the price for our sin. Jesus got what He didn’t deserve so that we wouldn’t get what we did deserve. Jesus took on the penalty for our sin so that we could be forgiven, healed and redeemed. For Jesus, life wasn’t fair. He didn’t deserve the betrayal, arrest, beatings, and crucifixion. He didn’t deserve what happened, but God is just, so the penalty of sin had to be paid and Jesus paid it once for all.
Because Jesus paid the price, the justice of God was met so the mercy of God could be extended. God doesn’t give us what we deserve. Instead, we get grace, we get mercy, we get love, we are forgiven, we are redeemed, and we are given another chance at life and faith.
With the Lord there is unfailing love and full redemption. Thank God we don’t get what we deserve, and that life isn’t always fair. That is a gift to us all.
Next Steps
Happy Trails - Psalm 130
When have you personally experienced that life isn’t fair?
Read Psalm 130.
If God was fair, what would be the outcome of our lives?
How can the unfairness of life with God be a good thing?
Because life isn’t fair:
God listens to us
● When have you cried out to God in times of trouble and found that God was right there to listen?
● When have you cried out to God in the midst of sin and found that God was still there to listen?
● Cry out to God today no matter what your circumstance might be.
God forgives us
● Where is God’s forgiveness needed in your life?
○ Ask God for His grace and mercy.
● God’s forgiveness needs to lead us to forgive others.
○ Who are those that you need to forgive today?
○ What does that forgiveness look like?
God heals us
● Where is physical, emotional or spiritual healing needed in your life?
● How certain are you that God will heal you? Are you as certain as those who watch for the morning?
● How can God’s word give you confidence and assurance as you wait?
● What scriptures tell you that God will heal you? Continue to read the Psalms of Ascent.
God redeems us
● Where is another chance needed in your life?
● How can you give God another chance to work in your life?
● What do you need to do today to make the most of the new opportunity God is giving you?
