Reflections on Isaiah: Judging with justice

Isaiah 11 (verses 1-9) :

"He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

The world that Isaiah describes can sometimes seem a long way from where we are now. This passage describes a place where the strong and the weak can live together as equals, without fear, and where justice will be done so that those who are poor aren't taken advantage of. Unfortunately in our world the gap between rich and poor is in many places getting wider rather than narrower, and factors such as skin colour, gender or background influence how people are seen and judged. God sees our genuine needs, whatever they are, and cares about them.

Prayfor those who do not have the resources (for example food, clothes, a stable home) to live a flourishing life, and pray for those with the power to change this to prioritise those who most need it.