Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
Proverbs 20:22
It is so easy to rush to my own defense... to be easily hurt in an offense and seek to justify myself. It is simple to dismiss criticism as unfounded and to seek to get back at perceived attackers. It is hard to contemplate that I too have a sin-warped perspective on my own life and actions and that God might be using a tough situation to help me grow more like Jesus in my suffering for His glory. Jesus was misunderstood. Jesus was accused falsely. Jesus was criticized. Jesus was treated wrongly. He simply spoke and lived the truth anyway and entrusted Himself to the will of God the Father.
Trusting God is the way to counteract my rash tendency toward quick self-defense. And I know Tom Petty wasn’t thinking of Christ’s delivering power when he wrote it... but the poetry rings true: “the waiting is the hardest part... you take it on faith... you take it to the heart...” The promise in this proverb is that if I move beyond my selfish perspective and trust in God Who truly knows my heart, God will bring deliverance in His way, in His time, for His glory. My soul should rest not in my self justification, but in the grace of my Savior, Jesus Christ.
So bad times do come. Sinners misunderstand one another. People do each other wrong. And in that experience, I will be called to first remind myself to wait on God’s promise to deliver.
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