Day 14
Hear, O
our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give
them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their
guilt, and let not their sins be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked
you to anger in the presence of the builders.
Nehemiah
4:4-5
There
is a tremendous temptation to take things into our own hands when we have been
wronged. It is a natural desire to want to see justice. However, when we take
things into our hands, we will so often get it wrong. We are short-sighted,
emotional, and at times irrational. However, God will never get it wrong.
When
Nehemiah is dealing with his detractors, he avoids the temptation to settle the
score himself. Instead, he stays focused on the task at hand, prays about those
who are making things difficult, and continues to fulfill his God-given call.
When
Jesus is hanging on the cross, we see Him pray as well. Jesus prays, "Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Stephen prays the same as
he is being stoned to death in Acts 7. However, this is not the prayer Nehemiah
prays. Nehemiah’s is a prayer of vengeance. It is important to note why
Nehemiah does this: he prays, “They have provoked you (God) to anger." It was
about God’s name, not Nehemiah’s.
When
we deal with mean, selfish, hurtful people, it is hard not to become
vindictive. However, we must remember that allowing ourselves to get lost in
anger, saying and doing things we would not ordinarily say and do, it hurts us
more than anyone. Let’s take a lesson from Jesus, Stephen, and Nehemiah. Make
it a matter of prayer and trust God with the results. He can do more in a moment
than we can in a lifetime.
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