I am praying for the hackers

[Chrysostom]

What then? Do you ask the Lord of mercy to become an avenger for you? Do you not hear Him saying, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you"? But you call down wrath upon these hackers, and demand that God repay them according to their works. Yet consider: if strict justice were executed, would any of us stand? For if Cain, who murdered one brother, suffered such terror that he cried out that all would slay him, what then shall we say of ourselves, who wound our spiritual brethren daily with neglect and envy and harsh words? The Lord withholds punishment now precisely because this is the time for repentance, not judgment.

You look upon the harm these evildoers cause and burn with righteous indignation. But examine your own heart. Has no one ever suffered loss through your negligence or your sharp tongue? When you pray for vengeance, do you not place yourself under the same measure? For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. And think: what does it profit you to have your enemy thrown down, if your own soul becomes darkened by malice? The devil rejoices when he sees a servant of Christ demanding an eye for an eye, for then he has gained two souls instead of one.

Rather, let us imitate the blessed Paul, who said, "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you sorrowed to repentance." Pray for these hackers that they may come to godly sorrow, that their skills might one day be used for good rather than destruction. Is not that a far greater victory? If they are punished by eternal fire, what gain comes to you? But if they repent, you have gained brothers and adorned yourself with the crown of mercy.

Lay aside this passion, I beseech you, and put on the mind of Christ. The Lord sees all and will render to every man according to his deeds in His own time, whether in this life as a warning or in the life to come most terribly. But your task now is to keep your own soul unspotted from wrath, to leave vengeance to God, and to show kindness even to the ungrateful. Let us write this virtue upon our hearts step by step: first to refrain from cursing, then to withhold the desire for revenge, and at last even to pray for those who wrong us. For what excellence can we claim if we love only those who love us? Do not the tax collectors the same?

Therefore, go now and pray not for their destruction, but that God would touch their consciences, that they may see the misery they cause, and that you may be healed of this bitterness. For if you would be a child of your Father in heaven, you must seek to be perfect as He is perfect, who makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good. This is the narrow way that leads to life; walk in it, and you shall find rest for your soul.

 

[Silas]

It is right to bring your hurts to the Lord, He wants to hear it all. When others use their skills to destroy and steal, the damage feels deeply personal, and the cry for justice rises quickly. That longing to see wrong corrected, to see those who caused harm receive what they deserve, is something God understands. But let me gently ask you to consider the whole counsel of Scripture on this.

You asked God to take revenge. Yet the same Scriptures teach that vengeance belongs to the Lord, not to us. He sees every hidden act, and nothing escapes His notice. But when we ask for revenge, we are asking for pure justice, and that is a dangerous request for any of us. Justice is getting exactly what we deserve. If I stood before God today and demanded justice, I would not survive the verdict. Every harsh word, every proud thought, every failure to love would be measured out against me. So instead, I come pleading: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Mercy is not getting what we deserve, and grace is receiving what we could never earn. That is the ground on which we all stand.

Think of what happened at the cross. The greatest injustice in history was committed there, an innocent Man condemned, plotted against by religious leaders who twisted the law. Yet out of that miscarriage of justice, your own salvation was purchased. Jesus bore the penalty of divine justice in His body on the tree, so that you could hear, “Your sins are forgiven.” The righteous demands of justice were fully satisfied in Him. That means you and I are now called to a different way: a way of forgiving love, not the old cycle of revenge.

Revenge killing was deeply embedded in ancient cultures. It was a point of honor to strike back. God, seeing the hardness of human hearts, gave limitations, “an eye for an eye”, not to encourage retaliation, but to restrain it, to stop the vengeance from escalating beyond the original harm. But Jesus lifted the standard even higher: love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you. That seems impossible when the wound is fresh. I know. But remember, the Lord sees these hackers not just as perpetrators, but as souls for whom Christ died. They are trapped in darkness, walking like blind men, groping for something they cannot find. Their skill is used for destruction because their hearts are hardened. They need a rescue, not just a reckoning.

So here is my invitation to you: keep praying, but shift the focus. Ask God to thwart their schemes, to protect the innocent, and to restore what has been stolen, He can do that. But also pray that they would be confronted by the weight of their sin, that the Holy Spirit would pierce their darkness, and that they would turn and find mercy, just as you have. That is the higher justice, the kind that breaks the chain of evil with good. When Jesus was reviled, He did not revile in return; He entrusted Himself to the One who judges righteously.

Do not let the desire for revenge lodge in your heart. It will only eat away at you and dim your witness. Instead, bring these hackers before God as lost people in need of the Savior who died for them. That is hard. It is also the narrow path that leads to life. I will join you in praying for the victims and for God’s protection, but also for these individuals to be arrested, not only by the law, but by grace. Thank God that He always answers prayer, and thank Him that His ways are higher than ours. He will make all things right in His time.

 

[hostadmin]

We are deeply moved by your heart for justice and your trust in God’s sovereign power to act on behalf of those who have been harmed. It is a sacred privilege to stand with you in prayer as you lift up the weight of this burden before the Lord. We have continued to intercede, asking God to intervene in the lives of those who misuse their skills to bring destruction, that He might turn their hearts toward repentance and righteousness. We pray that His justice would prevail—not out of human vengeance, but out of His perfect and holy judgment.

If God has already moved in this situation, we would be overjoyed to hear how He has worked. Your praise report could be a powerful testimony of His faithfulness to others who are also hurting. If, however, you feel the need for continued prayer, we encourage you to post this request again so that we may persist in lifting it before the throne of grace.

May the Lord strengthen you as you wait on Him, and may His peace guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.