Leave Room

Romans 12:¹⁹ “Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it.” (LB).

Deuteronomy 25:^17-19 “Never forget what the Amalekites did to you as you came from Egypt. They attacked you when you were exhausted and weary, 

and they struck down those who were (feeble) straggling behind. They had no fear of God. Therefore, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies in the land he is giving you as a special possession, you must destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under heaven. Never forget this!” (emphasis added).God is saying, the people who attacked you when you were exhausted, weary, and weak. When you were going through a tough time, they still stabbed you. Do not forget. Forgive, do not forget. But Pastor, didn’t God say we should forgive and forget? Show me where it is written in the Bible. It is not there. God says we should forgive.

After we have forgiven, we can forget. But God never instructs us to forgive and forget. Again, you can start a theoretical debate on that. Never forget God’s justice. Do not forget that God will avenge you. Psalm 56:⁸ “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Do you know all the tears you have shed? Can you tell the volume of tears you have shed in your life, how many litres? Guess what? God can. God keeps a record of every time you were unfairly treated, every time you were hurt. All the times you were weak and the people who were supposed to surround you stabbed you. God kept and keeps a record of everything.

Romans 12:¹⁹ “Never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it.” (LB, emphasis added). And this is it for us who are in the New Covenant, we do not avenge ourselves. We leave that to God. God did not say He may repay, or He will not repay, or He may choose to repay. God said He will repay those who have hurt you, those who deserve it. The New International Version puts it this way, “…but leave room for God’s wrath…”. We resent because we forget God’s justice. The only reason you are feeling resentment towards the people who hurt you is because you have forgotten God’s justice. God says He will never forget the people who stabbed you in the back and struck you down when you were weak.

If you know that God will not forget, you will leave the way, and make room for God’s wrath. You are free to fly like a bird and not wallow in resentment, because you remember God’s justice.

Prayer: Father, thank You for being mindful of all that concerns me, every detail of my life, even to the hurtful and painful experiences. I am grateful, in Jesus Name. Amen!