Proverbs 24:29 “Do not say, I’ll do to him as he has done to me; I’ll pay that man back for what he did.”
Proverbs 25:21-22 “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”
When I am personally wronged I must fight the temptation to take revenge. This doesn’t mean I am to be passive about it. Instead, the Bible teaches that I must retaliate by doing the unthinkable: caring for my enemy’s needs. It’s the exact opposite of my natural human instinct toward a person who has harmed or undermined or defrauded or harassed me. Instead of gloating because my enemy is now hungry or thirsty or in great need, I am to help that person through practical acts of kindness and mercy. This is very hard, but it is exactly what Jesus did for me when he came on his rescue mission to earth. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
Father, thank you that I don’t need to occupy my time and energy defending myself against critics and scheming to take revenge against those who try to harm me. I desire justice to be done, but I can leave the consequences in your hands. Let me retaliate with your grace and mercy.