A few weeks ago, I was summoned to the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego for jury duty. I got picked as a juror on a two-week civil trial. The case was a lawsuit involving a car accident, so we had to decide who was at fault and assign monetary compensation.

When the 12 of us entered the jury room and began deliberating, it was easy to decide who was at fault—the evidence was pretty clear—but agreeing on how much money to award for pain and suffering was excruciating.

Two “camps” quickly formed in our little jury pool. About half of the jurors wanted to award the plaintiff tons of money, and the other half wanted to award him very little.

As time went on, our personal biases began to surface. Some people based their dollar amounts on how they thought the young man would spend the money once he got it. Others said that wasn’t fair. For some people, the money was a symbol representing what the young man’s pain and suffering were worth. Others thought that the money would encourage the young man to develop a victimized attitude.

At times, we were at a standstill, not willing to budge on our numbers. Eventually, we compromised on a settlement.

During our deliberations, I kept asking myself, Are we doing what is right? Are we being fair? What would I want if I were in the plaintiff’s or defendant’s shoes?

And I couldn’t help thinking about my own future court case — the one that happens when my life concludes and I stand before the pleasing bar of God.

After witnessing how an earthly jury functions, I’m so thankful that the great Jehovah will judge my case.

2 Nephi 2:10 says we’re judged according to the “truth and holiness which is in him.”

Revelation 19:2 says, “true and righteous are his judgments.”

Psalm 96:13 says, “he will judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.”

Those scriptures can either make us feel comforted or queasy depending on how our walk with the Lord is going, but I want to set that aside for a minute and just focus on how perfect a judge God is.

If you’ve ever seen a likeness of Lady Justice, then you probably remember what she wears on her face: a blindfold. If you’ve ever served on a jury, then you know that you can only base your judgments on evidence presented in the case (what comes out of a witness’s mouth). You can’t even base it off what the lawyers or judge say. In the jury room, we all confessed that the plaintiff probably bore some fault in the accident, but there was no evidence to prove it, and we couldn’t base our decisions on a hunch.

Now, take God. He’s all-seeing, all-knowing. He doesn’t wear a blindfold. He sees everything from every perspective and every angle. Romans 2:16 says He’ll judge even the secrets of men. Nothing will be hidden. Nothing will be misunderstood or misrepresented. I won’t even have to tell Him my side of the story because He’ll already know it — better than me even.

I know that His mercies are abundant in Christ. And I also know that His mercy does not rob His justice. His scales are perfectly balanced (Prov. 16:11), and He handles each case personally.

Having just been through this jury duty experience, I am in awe of God, the eternal judge, and I feel safe in His wise, capable hands.

Click the blue reply button 👇 to see today’s comments and leave one of your own.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.

Author

  • Sister Michelle Watson lives in the remote White Mountains of Arizona with husband, Brother Michael, and two miracle-born boys.

    View all posts Full-time mother, part-time freelance writer/editor Reading an entire book in one day, pretty hikes, sushi, libraries, dad jokes, and long periods of silence 1 John 1:9

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further Reading

The Sunflower Seed Kid

If you read the Gospel Blog, then you may remember that I work with children with special needs, and this column is dedicated to the lessons that I have learned from those kids.  One 12-year-old boy that I work with—let’s call him Jimmy—was digging through the...

Read More

Gutterplant

There is a main road that runs through my town, and on that main road, there is this one specific gutter.  This summer, a bright green plant grew out of that gutter, tall and straight and gorgeous. It wasn't long before a huge red flower bloomed on that leafy...

Read More

Never Miss a New Article

Subscribe to Our Email List
Sign up and get every new blog post sent straight to your inbox so you always have the day’s devotional at your fingertips.

We never share your email address with anyone for any reason, and we use it only to send you Gospel Blog emails. Just articles, not ads!

Your Story for God’s Glory

Share Your Testimony on Miracle Monday

We devote Miracle Monday to sharing miracle stories. From finding a lost wedding ring to healing cancer on the spot, Jesus Christ has done it all, big and small.

And we want to hear about what He’s done for you.

The Gospel Blog Is Open for Submissions

We encourage devotional-style or scripture-based articles in the ballpark of 500 words. We are open to any topic that glorifies God and unites the Church.