The LORD will fight for you; you must be quiet." Exodus 14:14 HCSB
The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." NLT
The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” ESV
The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. KJV
I hope this isn’t overload on that scripture but it’s been so imperative to my journey lately. I have scriptures written everywhere — on the walls in my condo as decorative inspiration, on the wall and door of my closet as a reminder while I’m getting dressed, on the wall and mirror in my bathroom since I spend a good deal of time in there doing my hair and getting ready, and in my phone as reminders. While I don’t always remember to confess these scriptures everyday (some days I say them multiple times a day), having them constantly before me reminds me of God’s faithfulness and to keep what I want to believe at the forefront of my mind, much like Joshua 1:8 says to do. And have I EVER had to keep these scriptures on my tongue the last almost 5 months.
I think in general, people mostly have good intentions. There are many who are nosy, spiteful, jealous and bitter, for a myriad of reasons, who will say whatever out of emotion but I think for the most part, we have enough common sense to ignore them. But what about those people who are supposed to be there or generally have "the right thing" to say to us in our times of need? What happens when it seems they have lost their minds and say insensitive, thoughtless things? What about people you have no relationship with voicing their opinions under the guise of the "Holy Spirit" or the "voice of God" supposedly speaking through them (test the Spirit by the Spirit)? What about people who neglect to truly seek God for the on-time word instead of their opinion? What about family members? Friends? Co-workers?
Needless to say, I’ve been very angry at times, to the point of wanting to react in less than becoming ways. Every time somebody says something out of pocket to me I get angry (and usually cry to release the anger since I don’t fight anymore hahaha) and then I come up with these rather nice razor sharp retorts that God immediately shushes and muffles by telling me to let it go. I’m normally a discerning person so I recognize it’s the enemy trying to come at me through these people. Some situations though, have certainly hurt more than most.
I found myself like the Israelites complaining to God about these things and the people. Matter of fact, I spent many a day angry crying and asking God why am I experiencing all of this. And today it hit me, that this scripture that I have written and posted on my bathroom wall, was the answer I was looking for along with Luke 18:7.
Luke 18 begins with the Parable of the Persistent Widow/Unjust Judge. If I do say so myself, I have been that woman lately! Constantly bringing people and issues before God, asking Him why is He allowing me to be treated this way, interceding for those who have hurt me, knowingly and unknowingly, and demanding that He give me justice. Much like my prayers to forgive others, I have incessantly asked God to give me the strength to let these things go while allowing Him to bandage up my wounds. I had to be more vigilant than before because if I wasn’t careful, I could fall victim to an attack…which I did just recently.
Luke 18:6-8 says the following: And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
I needed the reminder in verses 7 and 8 just like I needed the reminder in Exodus 14:14. Even with this recent thing, I had to choose to listen to God instead of saying something, to avoid exacerbating an already bad situation. I had to be quiet, stay calm, keep my peace and stay silent. I had to believe these things and remind God of them. While He voiced the solution to my issue with that person, it was only because I chose to give it over to Him and seek Him for the solution. Rather than going off, which would have appeased my flesh and probably permanently damaged that relationship, I chose to let it go and give it to God. I was so angry and bothered by it that I found myself crying at my desk and in the bathroom at work because of my frustration and heavy desire to speak up for myself. God made me sit down last night before bed and write down every way this person has ever hurt me over the years, and I was avoiding doing it. But when I woke up this morning, I felt renewed because after I finally wrote it all out, I gave it all to the One who can do something about it.
The truth here is that people may never see the pain their words, lack of discernment, and actions cause others because of their own pains. Sadly I know this to be true. However, you and I have a choice of whether we will hold on to it and allow it to become an open door for bitterness and ultimately the enemy to further attack us. The persistent widow kept going back to the only person who could provide her recourse in her situation. Even though the judge was a jerk, he ultimately did what was right because rather than continue to be aggravated he wanted her gone!
Likewise, I have been taking all these people to God. Some of them are much easier than others to brush off, but I take them to God nonetheless. I’ve found peace in being quiet (and blocking people, muting conversations, ignoring phone calls). Do what God leads you to do to protect your peace! The beautiful thing is that God is faithful to keep His promises so we can hold fast to Him giving us justice! So today, take that thing , whatever your thing is, and the people to the only one who can give you justice.
Life Inspired By God 