VERY LONG COURT PROCEEDINGS

How long must your servant endure?  When will you judge those who persecute me? Psalm 119:84

            Have you ever been through a long court proceeding?  I haven’t.  But I have known friends who have and the time for testimonies, arguments, and then deliberation by the jury can seem long.  Given a complicated and in-depth case, the procedure can see like forever.

            The bad news is ~ David is being persecuted.  The good news is ~ He has taken them to God’s court. 

            The bad news is ~ God’s judgment seems a long time in coming.   The good news is ~ His justice will be perfect whereas David’s judgment would have been skewed by a need for personal revenge. 

            I spoke at a conference a year or so ago where the topic for the day was forgiveness.  A banner hung on the wall to my left.  It read, “Forgiveness is taking people off my hook and putting them on God’s hook.”  Oh, I like that.  And it’s biblical. 

            One of the myths of forgiveness is that by forgiving, people are let off the hook.  Not true.  In fact, God’s hook would be a more terrifying place to be.  His requirement for righteousness has no give and take.

            If you or someone close to you has been wronged and you are churning about it, consider these kingdom truths.  You can take matters in your own hand, exact revenge, and ultimately thwart God’s sovereign, good purposes for you and perhaps the other person.  Or, you can leave vengeance to God and place the people who did wrongly in His hands.  He feels very passionately when His children are hurting and though it seems that the court proceedings in heaven often take a long time, when justice comes, it is perfect and perfectly timed. 

Give me eyes of faith where I’m frustrated over your timing.  I can easily accuse you of doing nothing about evil.  But that belief is a lie against your very nature.  I choose to trust You today in all places where judgment is yet to be seen – and where mercy longs to flow like a river.  Amen