Today's Verse: Proverbs 20:22

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
— Proverbs 20:22
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Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Vengeance is an awful and painful way to respond to those we feel have wronged us. The Lord is our assurance of genuine justice, so let's leave our being wronged to God. Let him bring justice. As the apostle Paul taught:
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. ... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:19-21)
Escalating vengeance and trying to make things "come out even" only leads to broken people and broken lives. Worse yet, it leads to broken character in us!

My Prayer...

Through your Spirit, Abba Father, please empower me to be patient as you right the wrongs and injustices committed against me and the wrongs done to me. I need the Spirit's power to overcome my desire for revenge against those who have wronged me and to have patience while waiting for you to make things right. Please help me to be more concerned about the salvation of those who may have wronged me than I am about getting even with them. Please give me more of a heart like your Son, Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

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3 Related Resources by Heartlight

Proverbs 20:22
Devo: Daily Wisdom
"Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you."
Proverbs 20:22
Devo: Today's Verse
"Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you. "
Wait for the Lord
Illustration of Proverbs 20:22
Inspirational illustration of Proverbs 20:22 -- Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

Illustration

Illustration of Proverbs 20:22 — Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, July 16, 2005

Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'My Life, God's Message' (2 Co. 3:3-6)
"Dear Father, all-sufficient God, Let me be a letter from Christ written to people who need to hear the Good News, written not on paper with ink but....."
God's Holy Fire
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
'A Long Gaze into Glory' (Ac. 7:55)
"[Just before Stephen was stoned:] But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the..."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'Not My Own Ideas' (Jn. 7:16)
"So Jesus told [the people at the Temple where he was teaching], "My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me.""
Daily Wisdom
A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
Proverbs 16:17
"The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life."

About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

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