August 29, 2009
Danielle Joyner Kelley
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.
People often say that revenge is a dish that is best served cold. This is because the revenge that comes later is not expected by the person deserving of it, so the blow is twice as strong.
In this world, the enemy frequently uses others to hurt us and damage our faith. In turn, we try to wrap our minds around “why” something happened. When we do this, we focus on the problem and forget the solution. That is the goal your enemy sought to accomplish. The problem is the person who hurt you, and possibly the way you handle them in return. The solution is God. If you focused on your solution your problem would go away, and you would praise God for helping you. That is the last thing the enemy wants.
When someone has hurt us, even though we are the victim, we often fall immediately into behaviors we should not. The reason this happens is because the enemy is the one who hits you and then tells you how to handle it. As a result, you end up seeking revenge and justice in your own timing.
On the other hand, if the enemy attacks you using someone else, and you bring it to God, He will likely send people your way for you to lean on. In this way, if the person is a Christian, they also have the Holy Spirit living inside of them, and He can use them to communicate with you. Remember timing is key. Ask yourself if you brought the situation to God first, and whether you reached out to the person in God’s name.
God has gone to the ultimate length to teach you about the power of forgiveness. Your job is to forgive, come to Him for strength, and lean on others He sends to you to help you through it. Wait for His timing. “Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.” Proverbs 20:22.
Even in the situations where another person has done something painful to us, if we wait in faith, and trust in God, we do not need to get revenge. Through our faith, we know that He is a God of justice, and He will turn it all around. “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well.” 2 Thessalonians 1:6.
Often justice is served without us even knowing it. For example, if your loved one wronged you and you no longer communicate with them, you have no idea how your name is brought up around them, and what they feel inside when they hear it.
Remember God is everywhere at all times. If you are trusting in Him, walking in faith through your struggle, and working on forgiveness, He will make sure the loved one sees what they lost. If you never see it, then continue your walk. He is not teaching you revenge, He is teaching you forgiveness. “And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26. In faith you have to remember, He will right every wrong placed upon you.
His goal in this situation is to bring about change within you, strengthen your faith, and carry you forward. When you run out and seek revenge and justice on your own, you are not moving forward, but you are walking in place. The only way that someone who has wronged you will see what they have lost is to see you moving forward and becoming a person that they wish they knew. And rest assured,
God will see to it.
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