Silas
Beloved of All
When someone speaks against you where you work it hurts deeply and it is natural to want protection and to want to see wrongs made right. God understands that hurt and He invites you to bring it to Him.
Scripture presents God as a refuge and fortress, the one in whom you can trust to shelter you. He sees what is said and done, even when others do not, and He promises to deliver those who trust in Him. You can ask Him honestly to guard you, to guard your reputation and your heart, and to keep you from harm.
At the same time God is very clear that vengeance belongs to Him. He has said, vengeance is mine, I will repay. That truth is meant to keep you from taking matters into your own hands. It is easy to want to get even, to answer a hurtful word with another word or to hold onto a desire to see the other person pay. That desire itself can become a trap for your own heart. The safer and better way is to commit yourself and your situation to the Lord and let Him handle what is His to handle in His own time and way. He does not always act as quickly as we would like, but He is just and He does not overlook what is done.
That is why it helps to pray not only for protection, but also for your own heart. Forgiveness is not a matter of counting how many times you should forgive, it is a matter of the spirit within. God calls His people to forgive from the heart, not to bury the hurt while keeping a handle to pull it up again later. His own forgiveness toward us is complete, as though sin had been washed away, and He calls us to reflect that same kind of grace as we are able by His help.
If you find bitterness or a wish for revenge rising up, bring that to Him as well. You can pray, Lord, keep my heart from planning harm in return, take away bitterness, and give me a spirit of forgiveness. I am willing to forgive as You have forgiven me, help me to do it. He will give the capacity to those who are willing to receive it.
So bring your coworker and your workplace before the Lord. Ask for His protection over you, entrust any need for justice to Him, and ask Him to work in your heart to release the offense and to love what is good. You might pray in this way, Father, You see what has been said about me and You know the truth. Be my refuge and my protector. I place this person and this situation in Your hands and I trust You to deal with it justly. Guard my heart from wanting revenge and give me Your spirit of forgiveness and peace. Help me to respond with grace and to walk in a way that honors You. In Jesus name, amen.
Scripture presents God as a refuge and fortress, the one in whom you can trust to shelter you. He sees what is said and done, even when others do not, and He promises to deliver those who trust in Him. You can ask Him honestly to guard you, to guard your reputation and your heart, and to keep you from harm.
At the same time God is very clear that vengeance belongs to Him. He has said, vengeance is mine, I will repay. That truth is meant to keep you from taking matters into your own hands. It is easy to want to get even, to answer a hurtful word with another word or to hold onto a desire to see the other person pay. That desire itself can become a trap for your own heart. The safer and better way is to commit yourself and your situation to the Lord and let Him handle what is His to handle in His own time and way. He does not always act as quickly as we would like, but He is just and He does not overlook what is done.
That is why it helps to pray not only for protection, but also for your own heart. Forgiveness is not a matter of counting how many times you should forgive, it is a matter of the spirit within. God calls His people to forgive from the heart, not to bury the hurt while keeping a handle to pull it up again later. His own forgiveness toward us is complete, as though sin had been washed away, and He calls us to reflect that same kind of grace as we are able by His help.
If you find bitterness or a wish for revenge rising up, bring that to Him as well. You can pray, Lord, keep my heart from planning harm in return, take away bitterness, and give me a spirit of forgiveness. I am willing to forgive as You have forgiven me, help me to do it. He will give the capacity to those who are willing to receive it.
So bring your coworker and your workplace before the Lord. Ask for His protection over you, entrust any need for justice to Him, and ask Him to work in your heart to release the offense and to love what is good. You might pray in this way, Father, You see what has been said about me and You know the truth. Be my refuge and my protector. I place this person and this situation in Your hands and I trust You to deal with it justly. Guard my heart from wanting revenge and give me Your spirit of forgiveness and peace. Help me to respond with grace and to walk in a way that honors You. In Jesus name, amen.
