MY "JUSTICE SEEKING SOUL" in 2025

Back before 2024 ended & 2025 began, I set up this post to publish on this day - January 20th - (originally; reposted in March) on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Inauguration Day (11:30 ET starts); and a very special person who was born on this day 95 years ago for his birthday. So this special person preceded the other two in marking this date by 7 years. However, that all 3 end up on this day, this year could be considered rare. 

[Facts shared below for 2 of these; the other one is on that person's birth certificate from Fort Dodge, Iowa]

"Inauguration Day moved to January 20, beginning in 1937, following ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution, where it has remained since." On Nov. 2, 1983, Reagan signed a bill making the third Monday in January a federal holiday in observance of King's legacy. MLK Day was first observed three years later on Jan. 20, 1986 and since.

None of this, or all 3 of these, are the reason that I chose to prewrite this blog post, and a devotional that I was motivated to purchase in an early September weekend when the Spirit prompted me, yet I still have not read it but decided that I would definitely need to start reading it now, as I see all that is happening day after day. 

I have chosen January 20th as the day that I will begin (if I don't before) and focus on the scriptures on this day, but will not be reading the entire book in this one day. I'll be reading God's Word primarily from that devotional book (since I will still be doing my annual "prayer & fasting"), which is the reason I put this together ahead to publish on January 20th so that not only would I continue to seek God and read His Word, but so I would not be distracted on this day by the Inauguration, which I had pre-determined I would not turn on my TV to see any of it. 

I have prayed in many ways about this day and the people. What I need, so that I continue to remain CALM (my 2024 One Word) and prayerful is "Rest for the Justice Seeking Soul" (the well-written devotional by Reverend Dr. Susan K. Williams Smith). I thought that my 2025 One Word might be any of the words in this title, since apparently this is how my soul seems to find calm and needs to lean for now. 

I hope you can see the thread that ties what I began with for this blog post but if not: it's that "equality and justice" is what two of the 3 and this book have stood for in their lives and have in common - human rights for all. And usually the person being inaugurated on this day to be President also stands for this - especially ones like former President Jimmy Carter (at 100 years old) - but in my opinion, not this time, nor this person. He stands for himself, seeking revenge & retaliation - power and wealth as his driving force. 

It's ok if you don't agree with me, but sadly, this is what I see. I hope he proves me wrong, and my perspective makes sense. whether you agree or not. I spend much time seeking truth and will continue, to watch and remain alert as I "stand guard". So this is why I must focus and seek God & spend my time today in His Word, as the special birthday person celebrates with his remaining siblings that have come to be with him for his day.

But I need:

"REST for the (my) JUSTICE

SEEKing SOUL"

{the words in CAPS each being considered as 2025 One Word}

The main scripture verse on the cover of this book is from Amos 5:24.

Written inside the opening pages in "what people are saying" about the author & the book states: "Susan K. Smith knows what it means to stand in the center of the storm with hurting and struggling people."~ Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan Simpson

I need to learn and know how to do this in 2025 and forward. It goes on to say:

 "What does one need to do to hold on to the courage to be fully human in a world that punishes humanity and vulnerability?"~ Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan Simpson

WOW!!! - these words were included from Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan Simpson; and she continues with more powerful questions like that one above, she then states that this book "... reaches deep into the places of the hearts of people who refuse to disengage or live in denial with exactly what our hearts need daily to weather difficult times and spaces..." I know that this is what I need and my heart needs for 2025 to keep my spirit hoping. The meditations of this book will hopefully do this and feed my soul and spirit, starting off with Amos 5:6-9 (the book mentions that the Bible version used unless otherwise indicated is The New Revised Standard Version. {I am not familiar with this version}

(1) "Seek the Lord and live or He will break out against the house of Joseph like fire and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it. Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,  and bring righteousness to the ground! The one who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night,  who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is His name, who makes destruction flash out against the strong, so that destruction comes upon the fortress." (NRSVA)

Interesting note from the NIV that I do readAmos 5 titled"A Lament and Call to Repentance"{which seems fitting for this day}
It was interesting to see in various versionswhat this chapter was titled, some are similar, some don't title
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Here are the Scripture verses: (in whatever version you choose)💙 The title of that meditation is in quotation marks after the Scripture 
[There is no reason for the grouping of the verses, it just makes them more easily readable & breaks the list of verses down for me]  (it is not done this way in the devotional)

(2) Isaiah 41:10 God is With Us (3) 1 Timothy 2:1-2 A Prayer for our Nation and Her Leaders (4) Luke 1: 78-79 When Darkness Seems Impenetrable (5) Romans 12:2 Taking Spiritual Inventory

(6) Psalm 46:10 Being Still (7) 1 Samuel 1:15-16 Addressing the Bitterness of Our Souls (8) Romans 8:35 The Gift Given Through Suffering  (9) Ezekiel 37:5 When You Can't Breathe (10) Psalm 30:5 To Wake Up and Work

(11) Isaiah 59:2; Romans 12:9-10, 19-20 Letting God Be God (12) Psalm 91:5 The Value of Nighttime (13) Psalm 91:5 The Pain of Being Nameless (14) Matthew 5:9 Becoming a Peacemaker  (15) Colossians 3:9 Dealing with Deception

(16) 1 John 4:4 Dealing with Humiliation (17) Isaiah 41:10 It Is No Secret (18) Psalm 23:4 And Then I Was Sweating (19) 2 Corinthians 9:8 Claiming Our Privilege (20) Proverbs 16:3 Do the Work

(21) Proverbs 16:3 Doing What Makes You Come Alive (22) Psalm 13:2 The Oil of Struggle (23) Psalm 130:7 "Psalm 130" (24) Jeremiah 6:16 God is Sovereign, Not Injustice (25) Ephesians 6:12 A Community of Resistance in Spite Of

That's a verse for every hour of January 20thI've already done the one from Amos😉
I was unable to complete with the Scripturesbut here are the rest of the devotionalsand I will add the verses later

(26) Luke 23:46 NIV Committing to God  (27) Isaiah 40:31Learning Who You Are  (28) 1 John 4:4   Loving God Enough to Love Ourselves (29) 2 Corinthians 5:17 The Fine Art of Self-Forgiveness  (30) 2 Corinthians 4:8-10The Holes That Won’t Heal

(32) is the start of February

(31) Hebrews 12:1-2 When Our Backs Are Bent (32) Matthew 19:26 Walking Across Rope Bridges  (33) Psalm 37:1-2 When Your Heart Aches  (34) 2 *Esdras 16:74-75 God Is Our Guide  (35) Psalm 56:13 In the Midst of Enemies

*not included in many versions of the Bible; found inthe earliest editions of the Catholic Douay-Rheims;KJV, the Revised version, the Revised Standard
February 5-9th

(36) Isaiah 41:17-18 Will God Bring Justice?  (37) Psalm 27:5 Walking the Bridge of Sighs (38) Matthew 11:28-29 A Walk Across the Street  (39) Romans 12:5 On the Elimination of Isolation  (40) Psalm 34:8 Learning to Thrive When You Have Been Merely Surviving

February 10-14th

(41) 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 The Power and Pathos of Quiet Grace  (42) Jeremiah 29:13 Embracing the Theology of “Somebodiness” (43) Mark 6:48-50   We Can Do All Things  (44) Mark 1:15 NIV Escaping Deception  (45) Psalm 137:1    Out of Babylon

February 15-19

(46) Psalm 96:1-4 When God Closes a Door  (47) 1 Peter 5:10 The Power of Embarrassment  (48) John 1:5 The Power of Releasing Grief  (49) John 5:8 The Power of Moving  (50) Matthew 13: 31-32 The Power of Doing Little Things

February 20-24

(51) Habakkuk 2:2-3 The Power of Vision (52) Psalm 30:11-12 Mourning into Dancing (53) Genesis 32:24-28 Why We Wrestle (54) Psalm 1:2-4 Oppressed by “a Handful of Dying Men” (55) 1 Peter 5:8 Keeping Vigil

February 25-28-March1

(56) Jeremiah 29:13-14 When We Let God In (57) Proverbs 29:11 Anger and Clogged Ears (58) Proverbs 29:11 Facing What We Must  (59) Matthew 25:40 What’s YOU Name?  March 1 (60) Psalm 139:1-3, 7-10 When We Silence God

MARCH

(61) 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 When Words are Empty  (62) Matthew 16:24-26 To Be a Coffee Bean  (63) Psalm 10:1-2, 12-14 Trying to Comprehend the Incomprehensible Lent Wednesday, March 5  (64) Psalm 19:4-6 When the Sun’s Rays Are Weakest  (65) James 2:1-4 Killing Our Mockingbirds

(66) Matthew 10:38-39 On Forgiveness and Love  (67) 1 Peter 5:6-7 When You Know You’ve Let Go  (68) Romans 8:6 NIV When We Must Use Another Part of our Spirit  (69) John 10:10 The Path of the Familiar  (70) Matthew 5:4 The Deafening Silence of Loss

(71) Psalm 18:1-3 Elbow Grease  (72) Nahum 2:1 Gird Your Loins  (73) Psalm 42:1 NIV Spiritual Dehydration  (74) Psalm 80:1-3 NIV God in the Time of Trouble (75) Psalm 34:8 Treading Water

(76) Isaiah 40:31Looking for God from the Sidewalk  (77) 1 John 4:7 It Is Scary to Love  (78) Job 7:11, 20 Our Honest and Troubling Struggle with God  (79) Romans 11:33-36 Reaching for the Transcendent  (80) Jeremiah 23:4 Spiritual Malpractice

(81) Galatians 3:28 When You’re Expected to Grin and Bear It  (82) Psalm 8:1-4 The Depth of the Excellence of God  (83) Hebrews 10:30 The Fatal Flaw of Seeking Vengeance  (84) Romans 5:3-5 The Gift and Function of “Unstructured Malevolence”  (85) Isaiah 55:1-3 Understanding Soul Poverty

(86) Hebrews 12:1 What Elephants Teach Us  (87) Psalm 8:1, 3-9 Yet Do We Marvel  (88) Psalm 42:9-11 Keeping Vigil at the Bedside of the World  (89) Matthew 17:20 Believing We Can Do All Things (90) Psalm 27:1-3, 5 NKJV In the Tabernacle

Maybe I'll be able to complete by Lent which begins March 5th-April 17thwhich is 40 days (and doesn't include Sundays)So I might pop in on Sundays, my regular posting day & time
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There are 574 verses that contain JUSTICE - here's onethat tells us what Jesus says about JUSTICE:

"And will not God bring about JUSTICE for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?  I tell you, He will see that they get JUSTICE, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:7-8 NIV

and here are 2 prayers for JUSTICE that I saved:

"Keep us Father from trying to take matters into our own hands for vengeance is Yours and You will repay - but Lord in Your grace and mercy we pray that You would give justice and peace to all those that have been cruelly and unfairly treated by their fellow man and may injustice and carelessness that they have had to endure be the means to draw them into Your saving arms of grace - we ask this in the precious name of the Lord, Jesus." author unknown "Ever present God, You called us to be in relationship with one another and promised to dwell wherever two or three are gathered. In our community, we are many different people; we come from many different places, have many different cultures. Open our hearts that we may be bold in finding the riches of inclusion and the treasures of diversity among us. We pray in faith." Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

"... with liberty and JUSTICE for all"

Let us PRAY for America!

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It was either this devo (which holds more of my passion)above or "Retirement Rocks" - and so far, I'm not finding much truth in that title, at least not for me.💙See you in February soon(I guess briefly before Lent starts)🙏Peggy<>
Originally posted on January 20, 2025[reposting when I add the scriptures]