Proverbs 20:22 Don’t repay evil for evil. Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.
23 The Lord loathes all cheating and dishonesty.
24 Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the way?
25 It is foolish and rash to make a promise to the Lord before counting the cost.
26 A wise king stamps out crime by severe punishment.
27 A man’s conscience is the Lord’s searchlight exposing his hidden motives.
28 If a king is kind, honest, and fair, his kingdom stands secure.
29 The glory of young men is their strength; of old men, their experience.
30 Punishment that hurts chases evil from the heart.
Proverbs 20:22 Don’t repay evil for evil. Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.
I could scarcely believe it! When my nurses called me to the operating theater to see a patient with a lip laceration, I was totally unprepared for what I would find. Two women had gotten into a fight, and one had bitten off part of the other’s lower lip. Fortunately, there was sufficient tissue left to do a good plastic surgical repair; however, I was left wondering how this second woman allowed herself to get so close to her assailant that she could lose part of a lip. How much hatred would it take to do such a thing?
The problem in this case was unforgiveness and a refusal to allow God to handle the matter. As the meme illustrates, “Not forgiving is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”While these two women might have been fetish worshipers, I have seen Christians and Muslims behave just as badly.
23 The Lord loathes all cheating and dishonesty.
24 Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the way?
The fundamental cause of unforgiveness is a refusal to allow God to handle our matters. We are so certain that WE know what to do better than anybody else that we blunder ahead, spoiling everything in our paths. If we would wait on the Lord, God would handle things far better than we could. When confronted with calamities or inexplicable disasters, the medieval Christians had a saying, “God sort all!” This saying demonstrated faith that God could determine the outcomes far better than people could. But many of us are like the lady who bit off her enemy’s lip; we’re sure we can handle things, and we want vengeance NOW. Responding violently only begets more violence, and leads to escalating tensions. Want a perfect answer? Wait on the Lord.
25 It is foolish and rash to make a promise to the Lord before counting the cost. Jesus asked his disciples to consider the folly of beginning a building without knowing the cost and preparing wisely. In the same way, many times we rashly boast of intended exploits, only to have to retreat silently when things fail to materialize. When we fail to seek God’s guidance, we are planning to fail, no matter how elaborate our plans appear.
27 A man’s conscience is the Lord’s searchlight exposing his hidden motives. For many of us, our first mistake is refusing to listen to the voice of conscience, preferring to listen to other voices instead. When we fail to sit quietly before the Lord and listen to His Voice, we expose ourselves to cacophony, sensory overload that makes wise decisions nearly impossible.
28 If a king is kind, honest, and fair, his kingdom stands secure. It’s not merely kings who need to be kind, honest, and fair. God requires such behavior from each of us. Only when we wait on God and listen to Him will we act sagaciously.
29 The glory of young men is their strength; of old men, their experience. It has been said of air pilots that “There are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.” One of the TV shows we consistently watch is “Air Crash Investigations,” a show depicting real air disasters and analyzing how these disasters have occurred. One of the persistent themes in these disasters is the failure of pilots to listen to their copilots or first officers. Many times, a younger pilot notices faults that are correctable, only for the senior pilot to ignore the information. Cockpit voice recorders preserve these discussions long after the crash. If experience teaches anything, it should teach us humility and a willingness to receive correction and advice.
26 A wise king stamps out crime by severe punishment….30 Punishment that hurts chases evil from the heart. Whether or not we like it, God is holy and just, having divine standards. These days, it seems popular to commit crimes and then attempt to cover them with false apologies and excuses. But God knows our hearts. As a good Father, God disciplines us so that we will change and reflect His holiness and righteousness. When we trust the Lord, we practice self-discipline and we wait for Him to act.
Galatians 5:22-26 tells us, “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws.
Those who belong to Christ have nailed their natural evil desires to his cross and crucified them there.
If we are living now by the Holy Spirit’s power, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Then we won’t need to look for honors and popularity, which lead to jealousy and hard feelings.”
Want revenge? Exercise self-control and wait on God, Who can handle matters perfectly. Forget revenge, and remember, plotting revenge is tantamount to drinking poison.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to wait on You to act, even when You seem to be taking a long time. Thank You for giving perfect answers that heal problems rather than merely solving them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment