St. Augustine famously said, “Love, and do what you will.” His thoughts came from a passage in 1 John 4, implying that actions motivated out of pure love will always be good and on the right path. Psalm 37:3 gives us a similar thought process. It’s a simple admonition to trust in the LORD and do what is good.
 
It can be difficult to watch someone prosper through dishonesty while you bear the cost of doing what is right. This hits particularly hard during this election season. The injustice really hurts, but there’s another struggle that can grow from underneath it. We can even start to envy the person’s advantages, rehearse their wrongdoing, or wonder whether your own faithfulness is even worth the effort.
 
David has much to say about this struggle as he calls God’s people to trust Him, continue doing good, and to wait for Him. He also warns against anger that would draw us toward harm. The danger is that another person’s evil can begin to shape our own desires and choices. Unfortunately, we see this all the time in the church with politics and even denominational differences, where the evil others would embrace actually pushes us to embrace our own through bitterness, anger, and condemnation.
 
This passage repeatedly asks us to look beyond the apparent strength of the wicked. Their flourishing will end, while the Lord sustains those who take refuge in Him and promises them an enduring inheritance. Its wisdom teaches us to measure life by God’s faithfulness rather than by today’s visible advantages. We aren’t given a timetable for every wrong to be made right, and faithful people may still experience painful waiting.

But that time of waiting can become a place of honest surrender. We can name the wrong, seek appropriate help, and keep doing the good God has placed before us. We can also ask Him to uncover the envy or revenge that may be growing in our own hearts.
 
Generosity, truthful and kind speech, along with patient obedience, are concrete ways to resist being formed by the injustice we resent. Today, bring one troubling situation before the Lord and choose one faithful action you can take within it. The One who loves justice sees what you cannot resolve, and He remains a refuge while you wait.

When you see the wicked succeed, what begins to grow within your own heart? What good can you continue doing as you entrust the situation to God?

Father, You know the injustice that troubles me and the resentment I sometimes carry. Guard my heart from envy, bitterness, and revenge. Give me wisdom to seek help where it’s needed and the courage to keep doing good. Be my refuge, my strong tower, as I wait for You. Amen.

“While I wait for God’s justice, one good thing I can keep doing is __________________.”