The Justice of God

Followers of my family’s pilgrimage will remember the story of the malviviente who assaulted Elijah and me on our way to the park. After the attack, I mused at the futility of his actions, because the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. Psalms 37 promises that though the wicked draw their swords (or knives, in this case), their swords will pierce their own hearts and their bows will be broken.

Well, two days ago my sense as to the attacker’s future was fulfilled.

Oscar, a friend of ours from the Micah Project, was jogging through that same park when three young men came up to him with knives. They demanded his cell phone and began to attack him when Pastor Jeony, the director of our project, happened to drive by.

“Jeony, help, I’m being assaulted! ” Yelled Oscar as the car passed. Jeony immediately began pursuing the attackers in his car. He threw the car into reverse and chased the attackers down the street. They ran down a narrow street, difficult for a car to manage, and then down a steep flight of steps. Jeony took a different route and cut them off. When he met them on the street below, he jumped out of the car and began pursuing them on foot. I’m not sure what his plans were once he actually got a hold of the three men with knives…or why they were so frantically running from a pastor in a suit!

Fortunately, the Teguicgalpa police (whom never seem to be in the right place at the right time unless there’s a bribe is involved), saw the chase and arrested the three men. They returned Oscar’s cell phone and the leader of their gang, who has a long record, will be behind bars the longest.

Now, who do you suppose the leader of this gang was? He can be distinguished by the tattoo on his left shoulder blade. It was the same man who had assaulted Elijah and me roughly five months ago!

I have always believed in a just God, although I only expected to see that justice in the afterlife. How beautiful that God intervenes today to bring about justice for his people. I do not think it was a coincidence that Pastor Jeony happened to drive by while Oscar was being assaulted, nor that the police witnessed the chase and arrested the same criminal that robbed me. A small crime, when so much worse goes unpunished, but I am thankful and still learning about the justice of God nonetheless.