Let God defend you
“But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” – Matthew 5:39 How difficult it can sometimes be to turn ‘the other cheek’ to people who hurt us. Injustice can sometimes be so painful. Man, when I think back to what I was like before I had Jesus in my life; I was someone with ‘hair on my teeth’ as a Dutch proverb says for someone who is rather hot-tempered. The proverbial ‘short fuse’ was an understatement for me, I had no fuse at all! In the event of any setback, a nuclear reaction and explosion immediately occurred. Someone only had to do me an injustice and I wouldn’t eat them whole, LOL. I still remember a moment when, with my heavily pregnant belly, I went to get some ‘story’ from the person who was tailgating behind me. I stopped my car in the middle of the road, got out and walked to the lady in the car behind me to ‘kindly’ explain that if she was in a hurry, she should have left home earlier. I say it now with a smile, but it was quite serious. I had such a problem with injustice, and when it was done to me, I came to seek redress. I do not say all this with pride, but to show the greatness of God. The changes He brings in us are immense, as long as we allow Him to do so and give our battles to Him. From glory to glory I praise the Lord for the changes He has made in me, LOL. I just don’t recognize that person anymore. The longer I walk with God, the easier it is for me to let things go, and the easier it becomes to place everything on Him and expect it from Him. Is it always easy and smooth, nope, but we are on our way anyway. From glory to glory. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 3:18 Taking ‘revenge’ does not have to mean that you want to do violence to someone, although sometimes you would like to stick some persons ‘behind the wallpaper’ 😉. It is also about not taking steps to defend yourself based on your own insight, sending messages out of anger, saying or thinking things that are not in line with God’s will. In difficult moments, we should ask ourselves: What would I rather have: God defending me or me defending myself? That is the choice that Jesus offers us and means in Matthew 5:39. So, ‘turning the other cheek’ is not a recipe for abuse, but rather a way to involve God in your struggle and defense. Many people believe that these instructions from Jesus guarantee that others will take advantage of us. That would be true if there were no God. But if we follow these commands of Jesus, God will be on our side. “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.” – Romans 12:19 When we fight back, we draw on our own strength and our own understanding. But when we turn the other cheek, we are actually calling on God as our defense. Once we understand this, it becomes clear that these instructions are for our own good. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-8 Release Gods best in your life Regardless of whether our anger may seem justified and regardless of whether we think we can change the person or the situation in our own flesh, If we don’t learn to step back and let God fight our battles, we will never see God’s best in our lives. When we “go to war” to defend ourselves, we prevent God from defending us. I want to encourage you: when you are in a difficult situation and people have hurt you or wronged you, Jesus is our advocate. He stands up for you, and He fights the battle for you with all His love. The responsibility is yours to give everything to Him. Let go of control and take a step back. Give your battles to God, be still and know that He is God! “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;” – Psalm 46:10