LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Psalms 109:4  In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.

When you’ve been hurt by someone, do you believe in getting even? Is your first response to seek revenge? Do you justify it by calling it justice? These are piercing questions, and maybe just a little too personal, but it is an issue we must deal with.

Some people believe that revenge can be sweet. In fact, I found a web site called Revenge Lady. She has written the Rules for Revenge. I share these with you with the goal of showing how often our thoughts and actions do reflect God’s steadfast love. Please remember that none of these rules are Biblical, and I am most definitely not advocating or endorsing any of them.

REVENGE LADY’S RULES

1. Get mad….then get even.  It’s justice, plain and simple.
2. Revenge is healthy. Don’t listen to those mealy mouths who tell you otherwise.  You’re teaching people to behave better.  At the same time, you’re getting icky poisonous feelings out of your system once and for all.  What could be healthier?
3. Remember, Karma is a good thing.  Be sure everyone gets his or hers…in this lifetime. You’re helping to bring the scales of justice back into balance and restore order to the universe.
4. Revenge is excellent self-therapy. It’s far cheaper than a therapist and much healthier than pigging out on a box of donuts.
5. The punishment should always fit the crime. In other words, don’t go nuclear over something trivial.
6. Always aim your revenge where it hurts the most.  Go right for the jugular.
7. Let your creativity blossom.  Don’t go for clichés like slashing tires. Yawn. Be original. Enjoy yourself. Give your mark an experience they’ll never ever forget.
8. Don’t break the law.
9. If you must do something you’re not proud of, be sure to cover your tracks well.
10. Have fun. If you can end up laughing at the jerk who wronged you, you’re well on your way to being over it.
11. Once revenge is consummated, move on. It’s over.

How sad it is that people actually choose to live by these rules and justify it based on the philosophy of self-preservation and self-protection.

As God’s people we live by a different philosophy – self-sacrifice. King David models that in today’s Psalm.

Was he emotionally charged over the injustice of people’s attacks against his life?

Absolutely!

Did he have all kinds of ideas in mind as to how those people could and should pay for their actions?

Certainly!

But he directed all of those responses to the Keeper of his soul. When he could have been a man of action and sought revenge, he became a man of prayer. His confidence in God’s justice overwhelmed his own desires for human justice. His trust in God’s preservation and protection blew away his own desires for self-preservation and self-protection. His admission of weakness and need before God facilitated the delivering power of God in his life. His faith in the unfailing love and faithfulness of God allowed him to stand strong and wait for God to act.

Your emotional responses to pain, suffering, hurt, and injustice are not wrong. Your desire for justice is not wrong. But it is wrong for you to respond to those feelings and desires with any form of action against another person that is motivated by revenge. Taking any action to accomplish our own understanding of justice is contrary to trust in God.

The correct response is to pray. God has it all under control, and while He comforts and cares for you, He corrects those who are wrong. We can all learn from King David, and in the worst of times become people of prayer. It shows whom we really trust.

Pastor John