Daniel 11:2-35; 1 John 4:1-21; Psalm
123:1-4; Proverbs 29:2-4
A woman I
care about has been deeply hurt by a man. Yes, truly hurt. He was wrong. She,
who knows and loves the Lord Jesus, has retaliated against him in many ways.
Today I read in 1 John 3:15: “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer… this
is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we
ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” I prayed for my friend today. I
prayed that she would lay down her sense of justice and revenge and that she
would offer him forgiveness. I prayed that she would bless him with the request
he has made—one that would not cost her anything but pride—and that it would set her
free from the bondage of carrying his guilt. And maybe her kindness and
forgiveness would draw him to repentance.
And I prayed
for the man who has hurt her. Proverbs 29:1 says, “A man who remains
stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.” I
prayed that he would repent quickly and not remain stiff-necked against His
Maker.
In Daniel 11, we read a difficult and complex chapter if ever there was one! King of the
North and King of the South—what does it all mean? Rather than write a
commentary on this complex chapter, I focused on the words in verse 32: “… the
people who know their God will firmly resist him. Those who are wise will
instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or
captured or plundered.”
This chapter
in Daniel is focused on the big picture of what God is doing in the universe,
while John is writing about individual relationships. Yet in both cases those
who know their God will respond rightly.
Lord, give
us grace to respond to You in obedience—in big ways by resisting evil leaders
and in small ways by refusing to retaliate against those who hurt us and
choosing to forgive them. Amen.
- Nell
Sunukjian
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