Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth. (Ps. 58:11)

An infant’s cry shattered the quiet of the sleepy stable in Bethlehem. But the world that child entered would soon grow darker as evil roared in response to the baby’s call. A jealous king would order that all newborn baby boys be murdered. At that moment, throughout the land, the people must have felt hopeless against evil. Sometimes, we do too.

The psalmist echoed the cries of our hearts, practically screaming about how the unjust seem to rule and the wicked get their way. Like us, he lamented the twisted ways of the world. His words pled to God in anguish. But, while the psalmist acknowledged those feelings, he didn’t wallow. He found hope.

Like him, when we feel frustrated at the apparent reign of evil in the world, we can turn our hearts to God. He, too, refuses to put up with it. In fact, He sent His Son to earth for that very reason. The baby was born to show us how to live and then died to destroy the evil that appears to be winning. That baby’s cry Christmas morning was a cry of victory. So as Christmas approaches, and we gaze into the face of that baby in the manger, we can remember this: He came to transform our lives, and our world. Evil will be judged and righteousness rewarded. All because of a little child.

List some ways evil seems to rule, then write over them in red: “Christ Came.”

Diane Gardner is a freelance writer and editor. She lives in northern California, where she enjoys reading, painting, and exploring the San Francisco Bay area with her husband.