God’s Justice Will Prevail
Wednesday’s Verse:
From Proverbs 20:22 ESV
“Do not say, 'I will repay evil;’ wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.”
We’ve all been there. Someone wrongs us. Talks behind our backs. Takes advantage. Steals something from us. Soon enough, our brains begin scripting scenarios in our heads. “Someday,” we think to ourselves, “they’ll regret crossing me.” In that moment, revenge can feel satisfying. We feel powerful again.
Yet the Word of God cuts that thought short.
Proverbs warns us that vengeance is not ours to claim. To seek revenge is to act as judge, thief, and executioner—all in one. Seeking vengeance can also harden our hearts against others. We can slowly become more bitter. Negativity can infect how we treat other people. How do we speak to our friends? Even how we pray.
As Lutherans, we say we are saved by grace. By God’s gift of forgiveness in Christ alone. That same God who tells us not to seek vengeance is the same God who mercied us in Jesus. On the cross, Christ bore the sins of the world. He did not “repay evil” for those who crucified Him. Rather, He entrusted His vengeance to the Father. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we no longer have to live in constant retaliation.
To wait for the Lord is to trust that wrongs will be made right. To wait on the Lord is to pray for a humble heart that can forgive others. To wait on the Lord is to believe that God sees. He sees the evil around us. He sees what others try to ignore.
So today, if old conflicts are revived or new conflicts arise, remind yourself of this promise: the Lord will vindicate you. His justice will prevail. His mercy will sustain you. And His grace will mold your heart into something greater than vengeance.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, You are aware of the injuries we harbor and the wrath we conceal. Teach us to refrain from vengeance and to trust in You. Give us hearts that are patient and willing to wait for Your justice and mercy. Let us extend forgiveness to others as You have forgiven us. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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