Taking matters in God’s hands
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:19-21 One of the hardest thing to commit to God is to trust Him and live in His hand pursuing justice. When a wrong was committed against us, we want to see the guilty person or persons get punished. We cry out and demand justice especially if we are the person harmed. We become impatient if the score is not made even. Yet from our text, through the Apostle Paul God warns us that vengeance is not ours to take by our own hands. As His followers, we are commanded to seek justice but it should be God’s way. God takes the responsibility to see that justice is done. On our part, He expects us to remain faithful doing what He called us to do. “And what does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). When someone offends you, your responsibility is to respond with forgiveness (Matthew 5:44). Do not forget that God loves people too much to allow sin to go uncontrolled. Peter claimed that God is not slow about His promises to us but He is enduring and patient before He brings about judgment (2 Peter 3:9). Eventually God will once-and-for-all executes absolute justice. There will be no sin committed that He will leave unpunished. “The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished” (Nahum 1:3). He is giving every person the opportunity to make it right with God. This is the reason why Christ died on the cross. If a person will continue to live in sin, will not seek God’s forgiveness and will not appropriate His death on the cross, punishment will be dispensed to the sinner. God is absolutely just and only He can guarantee that justice is fully carried out. If we are impatient and we want to carry out revenge by ourselves, we presume that we are wiser than God. This action also reveals a deliberate lack of trust that God will do the right thing. When you trust God’s sovereign wisdom, you will experience the freedom of not getting bitter and miserable towards the person that committed wrongdoing against you. This also frees you from experiencing anxiety and prevents you from having sleepless nights instead He will provide you the peace that He alone could provide. Guard you heart from taking matters in your hand instead trust Him that He will dispense judgment in His time.
Blessings,
