The Lord will vindicate his people, and have compassion on his servants. Psalm 135:14
 
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be fulfilled. Matthew 5:6
 
What a blessing it is that we have the Lord's vindication on our side. What is meant by blessings as Jesus speaks of them in the Beatitudes? I remember hearing that it is as if Jesus is saying, "Good for those who are..." It fits, doesn't it? Good for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be fulfilled.
Even when the things of this world call us away from the ways that God has set for us to follow, he is willing to forgive and take us back into his fold. Sometimes the frustrations of our lives make us feel like God isn't there for us, and we try to satisfy our needs with our own solutions. Only when we realize our willfulness to go our own ways and forget to turn to God for guidance isn't working for us, do we understand the peace that "letting go and letting God" can bring to any difficult situation. To hunger and thirst for the righteousness available through following God's plan for  any one of us gives us an example of how we need to be gracious and have compassion for those in our lives who may disappoint or wrong us.  May we always hunger and thirst for the righteousness that can only come from God whose arms are always open to us.
Dear Lord and Savior,
Thank you for the restorative blessing that your vindication from our sins brings us. You are gracious beyond measure in blessing us with your grace. Help us to always be gracious to others as you are gracious to each of us. Your infinite compassion teaches us how to be compassionate to others. Help us to always follow your example. Amen.
Florence Smallfield
Ministries
Teaching Mission Party