When it comes to forgiveness, may we keep in mind that Jesus is not minimizing our pain as He urges us to forgive those who wronged us.
Jesus is not questioning whether we are hurt. He does not doubt that we have been sinned against. He also does not deny that our pain exists, in fact He sees all of it.
But as our all-knowing God and Savior, He knows the best way for us to be healed. And the first-step to true healing from the wounds inflicted upon us is by handing our hurts over to Him.
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Romans 12:19-20
King David’s Example
Israel’s King David fully understood this by heart as He time and again brought to the Lord His pains over betrayals and hurts hurled to Him by enemies, and those closest to Him. One of the harshest Psalms
David has ever written was a prayer asking God to curse His enemies.
“May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.” Psalm 109:8-9
Although he was praying for His enemies’ fall, David left everything up to God. He did not take up vengeance into His own hands. .
“Let them know that it is your hand, that you, Lord, have done it. While they curse, may you bless; may those who attack me be put to shame, but may your servant rejoice.” Psalm 109:27-28
Handing over our hurts
And as we trust that He will handle our hurts for us, God calls us to do exactly what He has done for us. To forgive without reservations, to forgive as if we have never been hurt.
Because when we trust His sovereign will, we show our worship and dependence on the God who has promised to avenge us. The Heavenly Father who vowed to protect us and take care of what we need.
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Colossians 3:12-15 and Romans 12:17-21 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Are you struggling with forgiveness? Can you trust that God will handle it for you, and that He knows your pain?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for your divine assurance that you will handle all the hurts inflicted against me. May I have the confidence to call on you when forgiving gets hard, and see
to your perfect example of forgiving without reservations.