“Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.”
I could never really decide if I loved this verse or if I hated it. Part of me liked the idea of getting even through God who is so much better at getting even than I could ever be. But, there was also a part of me that didn’t like the idea that when someone did me really wrong I just had to walk away and trust he would handle it. Even as I write those two sentences I’m convicted by just how wrong they are. They both tell of my desire for vengeance. When vengeance is left in the hands of the Lord it may not come out as vengeance at all. You see God is committed to reconciliation and redemption above anything else. That means in my relationship with others and in their relationships with Him his first goal is never vengeance. There’s a sense where we trust the justice system but they don’t always get it right or even have enough evidence at times. God doesn’t miss a thing. Sin will always be punished. The point in this verse is that God doesn’t want us to be consumed by a desire for revenge. It is his desire, express throughout Scripture, that we learn to forgive and move on. There is incredible freedom in living that way. I believe God encourages us to leave vengeance to him so that regardless of how that ultimately looks we are set free to move past it, look forward, and get on with living the life he called us too. Today practice forgiveness and live in freedom. #BeTheEdge
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Jesus
