The Justice Calling: Pursuing Justice as an Act of Worship

I love to travel. There’s something about airports that stirs something in me — the anticipation, the movement, the sense of stepping into something new. But every time I’m at the airport, preparing to board a flight, I am deeply aware of one thing: I need to get on the right plane.

Not just any plane. Not the most impressive plane, not the fastest, not the one with the most comfort or space, but the one that is going in the right direction. Because if I step onto a plane headed somewhere else, it doesn’t matter how beautiful it is or how smooth the journey feels; I will end up far from where I’m meant to be.

The longer I have walked with Jesus, the more I realize how true that is in my spiritual life as well. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been a Christian, or how many years I’ve served as an officer; if my life is not aligned with the direction of God’s heart, I can still drift far away from what truly matters to Him.

And yet, I am so grateful that God, in His kindness, never leaves us to figure it out on our own. His Word continually calls us back. It corrects us, redirects us, and anchors us again in what is central to His heart.

In Isaiah 58, we see this clearly. God is speaking to people who look deeply religious. They are fasting, praying, and seeking Him daily. On the surface, everything appears right, they seem eager for God, eager for His presence. But something is missing.

God says:

“For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways… ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it?’” (v 2-3).

They are confused. They are doing all the right things, yet God seems distant. Why? Because even in the middle of their worship, they were ignoring injustice. They were exploiting others. Their lives were not aligned with His heart for people.

And then God says something so powerful:

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice… to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” (v 6).

God loves worship. He delights in it. But He is deeply grieved by worship that is disconnected from justice, because He is deeply passionate about people.

This passage is not about condemnation. It is about love. It is about a God who refuses to separate love for Him from love for others.

I often think of it like this:

Imagine, before I married Ashish, he said to me: “I love you, but I also love my family deeply. They are struggling, and if you love me, you will care for them too.” And I said yes.

But after we are married, I pour all my affection on him, I celebrate him, speak words of love, give gifts, throw beautiful celebrations, but every time he asks me to help his family, I ignore it.

Over time, my words begin to feel hollow. Not because I didn’t say them, but because I refused to love what he loves and I refused to act on that love.

And that is what God is inviting us to see. How can we say we love Him, and yet not care for the people He loves so deeply? Justice is not separate from worship; it is part of it.

So, what do we do with this?

First, we lament.

We allow our hearts to break over what breaks God’s heart — the brokenness of this world, the displacement of millions, the reality of trafficking, the pain of poverty, violence, and loss. Lament is not weakness; it is worship. It is bringing our tears honestly before God.

Second, we repent.

We acknowledge the times we have separated our worship from justice. The moments we chose comfort over compassion, silence over action.

And third, we choose to act.

We ask honest questions: Where is God calling me to step in? Who is He asking me to see? What does it look like for my life to reflect His heart for justice?

Because throughout scripture, we are reminded that our neighbor is not defined by proximity, nationality, or belief — it is anyone in need.

The refugee. The exploited. The suffering. The overlooked.

We care because God cares. We act because it reflects who He is. Justice is not an extra. It is not a side project. It is worship. And as Jesus reminds us in Luke 4, this is His mission:

“To proclaim good news to the poor… freedom for the prisoners… recovery of sight for the blind… to set the oppressed free,” (v 18).

This is the direction of the Kingdom. And I don’t just want to be on a plane that looks good; I want to be on one that is moving in the right direction.