Daily Devotionals

In the Tanakh it is written, "ADONAI says, 'Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay'" (Romans 12:19).

Many of us have overly developed sensibilities when it comes to perceived insults, false accusations and the like. The Scriptures urge us to not be defensive but to leave room for wrath—God's wrath, that is. God is our defense and he will take up our cause, even if it is not as soon as we would hope. I've seen this principle born out in personal outreach on the streets.

Once, while handing out gospel tracts in Haifa, I and a few others with me were attacked by a group of yeshivah bochers (rabbinical students) and their rabbi. The rabbi saw one of our people with a bag full of tracts. He grabbed the bag with the tracts in it, swung it around over his head and let the bag sail into the middle of the street where it came crashing down on top of a passing car. The motorist braked his car to a screeching halt and went chasing after the rabbi. At this point, all the yeshivah bochers left and went to protect their rabbi.We were able to leave the site in relative peace and security.

God had taken care of that rabbi and he had taken care of us. He continues to do that in less dramatic ways in our daily lives. Sometimes, we rob ourselves of the joy of seeing him come to our defense because we seek to exact our own revenge. Let's experience the blessing of stepping back and watching God take up our cause.

...commit myself to being less defensive and allowing God to defend me in every situation.

DB