God's Ultimate Repayment Plan

In the past situations that I have been in, I have found myself wondering why things happen the way that they do. It wasn't until recently that I realized that it's none of my business why it happens but that I have the faith to endure and withstand the trial that is before me. It's none of my business why God allows the injustices in the world to happen but to be in prayer for those injustices. I believe that I have had a revelation in this area in my life. Though I have not completely arrived, I know that I am on my way to the freedom of knowing that I am not God. You may laugh, but we often treat our lives as if we have all control over it and that we are the center of the universe. Have you not seen the stock market? Have you not heard of the housing market? Have you not seen the prices of a Starbucks coffee? For the love of Pete, you have to almost take out a loan just to get a Venti Vanilla Latte, not that I am advertising my all time favorite flavor but it takes an act of God to afford it. I know that so often we find ourselves blaming God or asking God why things happen in life. Stay with me as we go together in the Word and discover the ultimate repayment plan that God has made for His children. Like most companies, Frito-Lay has a Money-Back Guarantee on the back of it's packages in small, almost illegible print. But if you don't like their product, you call the eight hundred number on the back and complain. If you don't like the packaging, you can call them and let them know. Already I can hear you saying, "where's God's 800 number? I would like to place a complaint on this packaging He put me in." Let's be realistic, it could be a lot worse and it may get that way if you keep that attitude. Back to the point, many companies will repay you for the 'wrong' that occurred. Whether it was poor customer service, a bad product, or unreliable services, the company will, at times, repay you in the form of money or additional services. Where are you going with this, you may ask. Turn your Bible to Isaiah 61:8 and let's take a gander at what God has in store for us today.

"Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, Everlasting joy will be theirs." (NAS)

The fine print that God gives us, if you will, is that instead of the trouble that people give you or the injustice that people do to you, He (GOD) will repay that injustice. Where do we find that? In Proverbs 20:22, wisdom says that the Lord will repay. There is a portion of that which we don't like to hear very often or at all. "Wait for the LORD, and He will save you. " We often want to get back at the person right away and show them who is boss. We want to get even and do it without even thinking twice about it. However, it says that if we wait on Him, He will save us. There is not a maybe in that verse. If we try to get back at someone, there is a high possibility that we will fail. With God, that repayment by Him is a 100% guarantee. In several places in scripture ( Deut 32:35, Ps 94:1, Heb 10:30) God instructs us to leave it to Him to repay the judgment. How awesome is that! We get to let the almighty Jehovah fight out war and we get to sit back with our cup of coffee and newspaper while He does it. Okay, maybe not with those things but the fact is it takes more courage to admit that the battle is the Lords (1 Sam 17:47) than to run into the fight to obtain revenge. It brings back memories of an old movie called "The Princess Bride." Through out the whole film, one of the characters vowed to obtain revenge of his father's death. His whole goal in life was to duel with the man who killed his father. He practices the lines that he will say, he practices the moves, and rehearses the scenes over and over. But in the end, he dies. Bummed? It is the very same principle in our lives. If you go around with a big chip on your shoulder wanting revenge because someone did you wrong or you are harboring unforgiveness, you are no better than this character who wasted his whole life looking for the man who killed his father to get revenge. God has already declared that you have won this victory, He knows the outcome, He has spoken to you to give it up and let Him deal with it so let Him deal with it. Let Him give the repayment. Let Him be the one who bears the burden. Let Him be the one who carries more than you can bear because you can not carry or bear this alone. You can not repay what anyone has done. Jesus said it best on the cross, "Forgive them Father for the know not what they do." We need to ask God for His help and divine assistance. In closing, we find ourselves in Psalms 43:1 which is "Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men." Apart from God, you can do nothing my friend. Trust in Him, believe in Him, follow His calling. If you have failed in the past and have done stupid things, forget about it. If you have asked for forgiveness, quit talking about it. God has already forgotten about it and so should you. Is it easy, absolutely not. But you have people praying for you, you have people thinking of you, and with the help from Almighty God, you will overcome evil with good. He's not leaving you nor is He forsaking you. Stand firm and stand strong! Let God repay and let Him be the victor and stop being the victim.