A grieving God – vengeance is His

https://odb.org/2025/05/20/a-grieving-god

Isaiah 41:10–13 (NIV): 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. 13 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you. “

God grieves with us when we sin, and similarly, He grieves when His people are bullied or oppressed. In Isaiah 41, the LORD spoke about those who wage war against Israel will surely be ashamed and disgraced. They will be as nothing and perish. Because He is their God and will take hold of their right hand – “Do not fear; I will help you.”

At last night’s young adults’ bible study, we discussed how we could forgive those who had hurt us intensely. We all agreed that time would heal even as our memory fades. Of course, we must not constantly replay and relive those moments in our memory. We agreed that we would forgive as much as it is difficult because we must forgive, for God to forgive us our sins.

Another way we could forgive, which we did not traverse last night, is to know that vengeance is mine, says the LORD (Romans 12:9). Leave it to God to deal with those who bully and oppress us, like in Isaiah 41. In some cases, the LORD may even save them and bring them into the Kingdom of God! Leave it to His discretion. He knows what’s best. He knows the human heart more than anyone else.

Our role is to forget the past and look to the future to the missions, tasks, and responsibilities in the Lord that lie ahead. Our future in God is a land overflowing with milk and honey, but there are fortified cities, strong armies, and sons of giants to conquer and overcome! Nothing comes on a silver platter, not even the promises of God for our lives. We need to work at it, placing reliance on Jesus, the Lord of our lives, the author, and the finisher of our faith.

The LORD our God is indeed our God. He will protect and help us in times of trouble. He will deal with our enemies if we are oppressed. He is our rock and salvation, our fortress and stronghold. Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!