Payback!

This verse is really serious!

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. - Romans 12:19 NLT

Yes, it's likely that we've heard of this before. I don't doubt that. Just towards the end of last year, I took every verse in chapter 12 of Romans and wrote about it. It's not that I'm unfamiliar with the verse. In fact, the devotion I'm reading gives this verse every day to read for seven days. So, I've been reading it, but the word "never" is just now standing out to me.

Whenever I read this or even think about it, it's almost a passing thought, vengeance is the Lord's. In order to feel better, sometimes that's the follow up, we feel better knowing that God will get them. Well, in the past, it has been my coping mechanism.

I say all that to say, typically I read this verse and a part of me falls prey to the idea that sometimes we take vengeance into our own hands, and that's not so bad. But, actually, it is bad. As hard as it is to believe or maybe as much as I just don't want it to be true, the fact is, vengeance sought out by me and enacted by me is wrong.

1) God says vengeance is His. So to do His job after He's said He'll handle it is wrong. Where's the faith? Where's the trust in that?

2) The verse plainly says never take vengeance. It's not my job or God's purpose for me to take vengeance. If it were, the verse wouldn't tell us to never do it.

I know, some wicked things have been done. In the moment of hurt and pain, it's hard not to want to take matters into our own hands. Here's the difference, though: we would take matters into our own hands to bring us peace in some way. God takes matters into His hands to bring the offender to Him.

We may not always see it that way. We may not want it that way. But that is the way it should be. Remember the question that's hovering over me? Do I want to be right or righteous? Leave vengeance to the righteous anger of God.