Silas
Beloved of All
Your cry shows how deeply you have been hurt, and how real the suffering has been for you and for others. God sees that hurt. He is not blind to what has been done, and Scripture is clear that nothing is hidden from Him. The anger you feel at wrong and at mistreatment is understandable, and there is a kind of anger at evil and injustice that is not itself sin.
At the same time God calls us to be very careful with what we do with that anger. His word says vengeance belongs to Him, and He will repay. Psalm 94 calls Him the God to whom vengeance belongs and the Judge of the earth who will render a just reward. It warns that the wicked are foolish to think God does not see or does not regard what they do. He does see, and He will act in His perfect time and way.
That is why we are told not to take vengeance into our own hands or even to devise it in our hearts and ask God to carry out our personal revenge. The example in Scripture is to commit ourselves and our ways to the Lord and let Him take care of it. We can bring the wrong to Him honestly and leave the judgment with Him, praying Lord, keep my heart from seeking vengeance and let You be the Judge. To harbor a root of bitterness is dangerous, because bitterness can trouble us and defile many around us, and it grieves the Holy Spirit who wants to build us up. We are told to put away bitterness and wrath and anger and to be kind and forgiving, even as we have been forgiven.
God's heart in this present age is first redemption. When Jesus came the first time He did not come to bring the day of vengeance, He came to bring atonement and to provide a righteous basis for forgiveness by taking our sins and bearing the penalty for them. The day of His vengeance is still in His heart for the future when He will purge wickedness, but now is the year of His redeemed, the time when He is inviting people to come and receive cleansing and pardon. That invitation is open to all, even to those who have done great wrong.
Forgiveness does not come by excusing or hiding what was done. It comes when we acknowledge our transgression and confess it before God. God has said though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow. There is forgiveness and cleansing if a person will repent and ask the Lord for it. That is the only thing that keeps anyone from forgiveness, the willingness to come and ask. This is true for the surgeon you mentioned and it is true for each of us.
So the right way to pray is not to ask God to torment a person or to take away all peace as a punishment, and not to ask Him to shame or destroy for the sake of our own vindication. We can pray that God would bring true conviction that leads to genuine repentance, that this man would see his need, confess his wrong, turn to Jesus Christ sincerely and find the only real peace and joy that comes through Him. We can also pray that God in His wisdom as Judge would stop further harm, bring truth to light, and establish justice according to His will, and we leave the how and when to Him.
I will pray for you now, that the Lord would heal your heart and not let this wound become a bitter root within you. There is a river of life that flows from the throne of God, and the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations. God wants to bring that healing and encouragement to you, to lift you into His straight path and keep you there, to cleanse your conscience and give you rest in Christ. Come to Jesus with this pain, receive His love and forgiveness for your own sins, and trust Him to carry this burden, to be your defender, and to do what is right.
At the same time God calls us to be very careful with what we do with that anger. His word says vengeance belongs to Him, and He will repay. Psalm 94 calls Him the God to whom vengeance belongs and the Judge of the earth who will render a just reward. It warns that the wicked are foolish to think God does not see or does not regard what they do. He does see, and He will act in His perfect time and way.
That is why we are told not to take vengeance into our own hands or even to devise it in our hearts and ask God to carry out our personal revenge. The example in Scripture is to commit ourselves and our ways to the Lord and let Him take care of it. We can bring the wrong to Him honestly and leave the judgment with Him, praying Lord, keep my heart from seeking vengeance and let You be the Judge. To harbor a root of bitterness is dangerous, because bitterness can trouble us and defile many around us, and it grieves the Holy Spirit who wants to build us up. We are told to put away bitterness and wrath and anger and to be kind and forgiving, even as we have been forgiven.
God's heart in this present age is first redemption. When Jesus came the first time He did not come to bring the day of vengeance, He came to bring atonement and to provide a righteous basis for forgiveness by taking our sins and bearing the penalty for them. The day of His vengeance is still in His heart for the future when He will purge wickedness, but now is the year of His redeemed, the time when He is inviting people to come and receive cleansing and pardon. That invitation is open to all, even to those who have done great wrong.
Forgiveness does not come by excusing or hiding what was done. It comes when we acknowledge our transgression and confess it before God. God has said though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow. There is forgiveness and cleansing if a person will repent and ask the Lord for it. That is the only thing that keeps anyone from forgiveness, the willingness to come and ask. This is true for the surgeon you mentioned and it is true for each of us.
So the right way to pray is not to ask God to torment a person or to take away all peace as a punishment, and not to ask Him to shame or destroy for the sake of our own vindication. We can pray that God would bring true conviction that leads to genuine repentance, that this man would see his need, confess his wrong, turn to Jesus Christ sincerely and find the only real peace and joy that comes through Him. We can also pray that God in His wisdom as Judge would stop further harm, bring truth to light, and establish justice according to His will, and we leave the how and when to Him.
I will pray for you now, that the Lord would heal your heart and not let this wound become a bitter root within you. There is a river of life that flows from the throne of God, and the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations. God wants to bring that healing and encouragement to you, to lift you into His straight path and keep you there, to cleanse your conscience and give you rest in Christ. Come to Jesus with this pain, receive His love and forgiveness for your own sins, and trust Him to carry this burden, to be your defender, and to do what is right.
