God, the Avenger - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 7, 2021

Are you hurting? Did someone do something to you that you just can't shake? Was it someone you knew or a complete stranger? What do you want to happen to them? Are you seeking vengeance? Justice?

The Bible tells us that God is the One who neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4). He sees everything that happens and He's made a promise to all who submit themselves to Him. Deuteronomy 32:35 - It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”

God will not watch your suffering and close His eyes. He won't ignore you in your time of need. When the wicked tread on you and treat you like you're less than nothing, know that He has a plan for them. And because you claim Him as your Lord, then that means You want Him - not you - to have His way with them.

Think about David and his journey to the kingship of Israel. His predecessor - knowing that David and not his son would replace him - made every effort to murder him. As a consequence, David - a shepherd anointed by the Lord to become the next king - lived in hiding, sleeping under the stars and in the hills far from the comforts of home. He did this for years! And on several occasions, David came close enough to deal with his problem. He could have killed Saul multiple times, but never did. Instead, he told Saul in 1 Samuel 24:12 - May the LORD judge between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.

David chose to let the Lord avenge him, knowing that whatever God would do to his oppressor would be tougher than any punishment he himself could mete out. And indeed, that's what happened. Saul died a terrible and dishonorable death. A death that practically wiped out his lineage. His wickedness against man, and therefore against the Lord, had additional repercussions as even his other heirs eventually died due to the actions of their forefather.

We all want to defend ourselves. We want to get back at those who've done us wrong. We want to make a point with them and ensure they get a taste of their own medicine.

Those are normal human thoughts but, if you call yourself a child of God, then such ideas must be discarded. We need to take a stance like David and state unequivocally that we will not seek revenge against those who maltreated us. No, we'll let God handle them and watch Him do things we could never have imagined to those who deserve His justice. Remember, He is the God spoken of in Isaiah 35:4 - say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

God will avenge us and all who've been treated unfairly. He is more than able. Our job is to remind Him that we await His justice upon those who deserve it. And most importantly, our job is also to never become like the very people we are calling on God to deal with. Stay righteous, prayerful and expectant that the Judge will do His job.

Please join us as we fellowship together at Noon EST for an hour during today's Praise & Pray (for others). Come ready with your reasons for thanking God (even if it's just because He is the Almighty). Bring the people/situations/places you want to lift up in prayer and a heart willing to honor the Lord. I pray you will be well-blessed, IJMN, Amen.