Reflection:

With just six words in the first chapter of Isaiah, we find a mandate expansive enough to pursue our entire lives: ‘Learn to do right; seek justice.’

What has long jumped out at me from this line is that it says we must learn to do right. There’s a journey of growth and understanding involved.

One part of that learning for me was the discovery that so many people worldwide still don’t have access to the Bible in their language – something I had always taken for granted. Yet access to God’s promises should be every believer’s birthright. As I worked in Bible ministry, I slowly learned that Bible translation was actually a matter of justice.

What was truly exciting, though, was realising how God’s heart for justice was being pursued in this arena. I learnt that not only has our global network of Bible Societies translated 70% of all complete Bibles that exist today, but that since the year 2000, there has been a 70% increase in the total number of languages with a full Bible! Extraordinary!

I realised that as the global body of Christ, we have been entrusted with a moment of exceptional kingdom momentum in this work of justice. What an opportunity to learn to do right and seek justice!

Prayer:

God, thank you for being a God of justice and calling us to learn how to partner with you in that work. Thank you for the incredible momentum in Bible translation at this moment in history. We pray that you will teach us, as the global church, how to steward that momentum well. We ask you today to continue to bless the work of Bible translation worldwide and enable it to flourish and bear great fruit!  Amen.