The Father judges no one.”
That’s what it says. Do you believe it?
Or do you resonate more with:
“If God be against us, who can be for us?”
That’s the thought pattern that resonated with me for many years. Those very words. I’m a recovering self-slammer, work-striver, guilt-liver, and God-judger. Destructive thought patterns from these ‘-ers’, pulled me down to the depths. When circumstances didn’t change, when God didn’t answer the prayers I prayed, I began thinking all was lost because of the heartache and then eventually the carnage around me. Eventually I came to believe that God himself must be against me.
But, here is what it says:
John 5:22a
“For the Father judges no one”
There is more in the following verses, of course, but why move forward? Might need to camp here —for a long time,- days… months… years…
When your hard times hit harder, and harder, and harder… does it seem like God is judging you? or punishing you? Punishing you for all those bad things you did, poor choices, foolish disregard many years ago. And now He is rubbing your face in it. ‘Uncle’ you cry, ‘God, uncle’!
But… ‘the Father judges no one.’
Maybe God isn’t the one rubbing my face in it. Maybe He isn’t wringing my arm to cause pain. Maybe the hard times come from somewhere else, some other source…. sin, the evil influencers following the father of lies. Maybe it’s a source other than God bringing the pain. Maybe it is my own misunderstanding and misapplication of the words in the Bible. They are pretty plainly clear.
‘the. Father. judges. no. one.’
Look up and see His face. It is not a face of mocking, sneering in scorn, disapproval, anger or judgement, enjoying slamming you with what you deserve. His face is full of tears for you, pain for your pain, anguish for your sorrow, reaching to you with a scarred hand, cradling you as you do your sweet baby. Maybe it will have to be an act of faith in desperation to look. Maybe you don’t believe it. But maybe you can just start saying it. Maybe it will speak its comforting truth to you as you reach out and take the words and trust without sight for them to sink into your hurting soul.
Because….‘the Father judges no one.’
And maybe you can picture Jesus in this stance toward you. But the Father? Often we see the Father as we might our earthly fathers. Distant, condemning, judging, punishing, silent– the ‘side’ of the trinity that inhabits the wrath and vengeance components. The part of God who burnt Sodom and Gomorrah, the God who sent the flood. But what did Jesus say?…’if you have seen me you have seen the Father’. And have we forgotten the ‘part’ of God who was sad about the destruction of the world, the God who gave Pharaoh so many chances, the God who pleaded with his people to follow him, the God who hated to send them to captivity, the God who ‘forced’ Jonah to go to his enemies and declare repentance and forgiveness… The God who sent his only Son. The Father, yes THE Father, sees you with compassion and doesn’t judge you. So I’m adding a picture here of Jesus. But don’t stop there. Jesus AND the Father AND the Spirit all open their arms to you in your struggle. They do not judge you.
