“‘Rejoice with him, O heavens; bow down to him, all gods, for he avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on his adversaries. He repays those who hate him and cleanses his people’s land.’” Deuteronomy 32:43 ESV
Sometimes in life we encounter people who hurt us and bring harm or pain to our lives. Whether or not it was their intention, the impact can be monumental. Whether someone lied to you, abandoned you, fought you, lied on you, stole from you, betrayed your trust, among others, each of us have experienced life situations that either made us bitter or better.
The good news is no matter what life situation may have adversely impacted you, you don’t have to worry about making your aggressor pay. In fact, our loving Father makes it clear in His Word that He is the one who avenges His children and makes right the wrongs we’ve experienced.
God’s timing may not be our timing and we may not know how or when He will avenge us or reconcile and restore us, but one thing we do know if that we don’t have to be the ones to soil our hands or our hearts making people pay for the wrongs we’ve experienced because of their (in)actions. That’s becoming bitter.
Instead we have the opportunity to be better. Romans 12:17-19 puts it this way: “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (NKJV)
The next time you find yourself in a place of rehearsing old hurts, or nurturing a new one think about how this is your opportunity to be better. Don’t feed the hurt or plot your revenge. Give the situation to God in prayer and watch Him work things out for you. Fill your heart with peaceful thoughts and spend time in His Presence so He can renew you and fill you with His love and perspective.
I’m not saying there won’t be times when the pain seems to wash over you like a flood, or that you will never have a menacing thought or two. I’m just encouraging you to choose to be better rather than bitter and let God fight your battles for you, while you work on living out His greatest commandments to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 37-39 NKJV)
Reflection
What hurts am I holding onto that I need to release to God? What can I do to focus my thoughts on praiseworthy life events instead of the painful ones? How can I reclaim my thoughts and feelings for God’s glory?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for being my Avenger. Forgive me of the times when I wanted to take matters into my own hands, creating distance between me and You. Help me to surrender all of my hurts and pains to You knowing that You will make everything right in due season. Move in me to be better and not bitter. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Photo by Valentin Salja on Unsplash
Want to learn more about forgiveness and applying it to your everyday life? Register for our virtual class on Forgiveness: Breaking The Power of the Past here. We’ll fellowship with one another and explore Kay Arthur’s and David & BJ Lawson’s text Tuesdays 7:30-8:30pm ET beginning June 4, 2019.
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