“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23
Peter is talking about Jesus in this passage. When Jesus was betrayed by Judas and brought before the authorities He did not fight for His rights. When Pontius Pilate asked Jesus for His defense, Jesus had no defense. When the soldiers pounded the nails into His hands and feet, Jesus did not cry out or strike back or curse them. What Jesus did was trust Himself in God’s hands and let them do what they did.
Jesus is God and had all the authority in heaven and earth to retaliate. He was the one who created the heavens and earth and had the power to destroy them. Yet, Jesus did not do that. He went through the suffering because He knew it was God’s will that He should do so, and He trusted God to take care of Him in the end.
Today a very common phrase is heard everywhere: “It is my right to do…” Our government has given laws that give each person certain rights. As individuals many people will stand up for those rights and fight anyone who tries to take away those rights. Courts are filled with lawsuits about “rights” being violated. This happens both in the church and in the world.
Just a few verses before this passage, Peter tells you that you should follow in the footsteps of Jesus. After that is when he describes how Jesus did not fight back. How many times have your “rights” been violated? Most people can answer that it happens a lot. How did you react to that violation? Did you fight back? Run to authorities? File a lawsuit? Talk bad about the one who did the violation? Or did you, like Jesus, trust yourself to God and not retaliate or threaten. In fact Jesus finishes with a prayer that God would forgive the people for what they did to Him.
You may never know or understand why you are going through a bad situation, but you can always trust that God knows and is in control. You can trust that God will take vengeance for you when the time is right. Today, do not retaliate or talk bad about a person. Pray for that person, that God will touch his heart and become real to him. Pray blessings not curses. Allow God to be in control.
I pray that today God will give you His strength to not fight back for your rights; that God will give you peace in that He is in control of the situation; that you will walk in the steps of Jesus daily; that you will be a living example of Jesus everyday; and that God will pour blessings on you for your trust in Him.
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