Abandoning our vicious thoughts and stinging pain requires us to know, trust, and hold on to certain attributes of God.

God makes it known that vengeance belongs to Him. First, we can take away from this that taking vengeance, even if only in thought, is a form of usurping God’s authority. We don’t trust God to be true to Himself as the exactor of justice. Instead, we climb onto His throne, supposing we are greater than He, not unlike that rebellious angel, Lucifer. Vengeance is a form of idolatry; remembering this can shock us from our vicious fixation.

We struggle with this because the Lord delays His justice. When people act horrible, we want to see immediate action from God. But He is patient, which can frustrate us, especially if we have seen many people seemingly get away with wickedness in our lives. But God reminds us that He is merciful to everyone. He wants us to be gratified by His patience with the most wicked because His patience with them gives us greater confidence that He is patient with us when we sin. If God can give new mercy to the vilest offenders, we can have complete assurance that He is not angry at us for our sins. Had He not been patient with us, His justice would have resulted in our immediate death, which is the penalty for sin. Because He was patient, it gave us time to find Him, seek His forgiveness, and receive His salvation. We can’t praise Him for His patience with us while being frustrated with His patience with others.

To escape the difficult temptation of vengeance, we must set these truths in our minds, let them dictate our behavior despite what we feel, and let God be God. Then, we will see our anger subside little by little.

Prayer: Lord, help me let go and forgive. Amen.