Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things...
 

Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying things.

I saw the vengeance of God in action.

For months I have been praying and begging God to help me overcome some horrible personal wrongs that had befallen me. I have been asking God to remove the hurt, bitterness and anger I felt toward those who reached out a hand in an attempt to destroy me and silence a quiet truth of religious abuse that I had come to know.

I had attempted (in a subtle way) to make a religious power aware of an abuse that was hurting an institution, only to be silenced in an attempt to cover the situation up. After I attempted to help, I became a target of retribution by a few who wanted to protect their personal kingdoms.

Today I saw God intervene. And in a way that both awed and terrified me. I saw God bring to rubble the kingdom of a man who sought to steal the vengeance of the Lord.

What to say?

For months my emotions have vascillated wildly between mercy and hatred.

Such an intense inner struggle.

I would have thought that there would be some glee as the wicked received just desserts. Instead, I am left sobbing and broken.

Dear God, please help me to have a spirit of mercy!
Dear God, please be merciful to those who hurt me!
Dear God, help me to have a clean heart and a right spirit!

I am left to ponder the words of Hebrews 10:31...

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Psalm 37



1 Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2 for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.

7 Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret--it leads only to evil.
9 For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.

10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous,
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the LORD laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.

16 Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The LORD knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times,
in the days of famine they have abundance.

20 But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish--like smoke they vanish away.

21 The wicked borrow, and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
22 for those blessed by the LORD shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.

23 Our stepsa are made firm by the LORD,
when he delights in ourb way;
24 though we stumble,c wed shall not fall headlong,
for the LORD holds use by the hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.

27 Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.
28 For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.

The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land,
and live in it forever.

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.

32 The wicked watch for the righteous,
and seek to kill them.
33 The LORD will not abandon them to their power,
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.

34 Wait for the LORD, and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.

35 I have seen the wicked oppressing,
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.f
36 Again Ig passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.

37 Mark the blameless, and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

pp, i will pray for you, i myself have seen this before, it is awful to feel and know the experience, i have always found the mercy of god to be boundless, and his grace inexhaustible, god bless you in your quest to overcome, aint never no wrong in doin right, my grand pa said, he was right and so were you, god bless you bro, dt

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

I, too often, find it hard to let some injustices go.

I am learning that I've got to do it.

Life's too short to worry about some stuff.

I am learning to just move on and let God handle it.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

i understand completely bro, prayin for you, and just let the lord Jesus bathe your heart with his love and grace, you will rise to be stronger, bless you bro, dt

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Could you elaborate more? How did God execute his vengeance exactly..if I may ask?

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Question:

Is it wrong to pray for God's vengeance against wicked enemies?

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

PM incoming.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

I have pondered this too, as we have been in a similar situation. David prayed for vengeance on those who had wronged him in several Psalms. But somehow, I just couldn't do it. We had to put it all in God's hands. Thankfully our hearts have healed and we are in a place of great blessing. Whatever happens to the others is up to God, not us.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

i cant give you a definitive answer on that one, i usually start recovering when i start to pray for those that wrong me, however, i find it difficult to have a good spirit if i am still harboring anger and hurt toward them so i have to let it go. He will take care of them i have learned, and does a nice job, much better than me, really, it isnt easy to let it go though, bless you bro, dt

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

I think I would always choose this for myself too. I believe that is left up for God to take care and I would need to spend my time praying for my healing and protection from the situation.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

I do know that I couldn't pray that God would "get them."

I just couldn't do it.

What I did pray was that God would move them to a place where they could not abuse any longer.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Keith preached an awesome message over the weekend about having "ought against any", in his message he made the statement that "God takes the way we treat each other very seriously".

Sometimes people forget that, and treat people any ole way they want, especially if they do not agree with something that person does or stands for. We do not realize the spiritual danger we can put ourselves in when we purposely mistreat or abuse a fellow brother or sister.

I too have seen thing happen to folks that have abused my husband and myself, only to wonder if it was God's hand. There was really no need to pray for vengeance it seemed to happen without any intervention on my behalf!

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

I would be able to pray that too. It would almost be like you were praying for protection of those around this person.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

This thread is a very deep one. There are so many who have been hurt or mistreated and by our OWN COUNTRYMEN. I've been down this road as well, I have seen God deal and judge. It is sad to me. I 'try' to always pray for mercy....I need mercy....therefore, I want to always give it and offer it. :tissue:angelsad

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

i think that was a wise and proper approach to the situation pp, no one should be allowed to continue to hurt, no one, dt

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Exactly.

Without devulging too much, I can say that these men impacted many, many lives very negatively.

Knowing this, it was hard to keep silent.

So much collateral damage in the wake of all of this.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Sounds like an awesome message.

To be honest, Coonskinner and I had a conversation about six months ago that really helped me through all of this.

In that conversation he stated that there are three things God will not share with us. His tenth, His glory and His vengeance.

That thought has really played over and over in my mind during this.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

When Joseph was elevated to a position of great power, and his first son was born, he named him "Manasseh", which means "to forget", and he said, "For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.

Joseph had to forget the wrongs in his father's house. He understood his enemies plotting against him, but he didn't understand his own brothers plotting against him.

So, God had to cause him to "forget his father's house".

After he did that, his second son was named "Ephraim", which means double portion.

We can't experience the double portion of God's blessing until we forget the things that were done against us "in our father's house".

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

What an excellent thought!

The forgiving part is just about complete for me.

The forgetting part is a bit tougher task.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

i really have to work at that, because God's forgetter works much better than mine, you can do it bro, maybe in a few months you will need some therapy on the lake, to help you focus, i can do that for you, dt

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

You're teasing, but the lake really is good therapy!

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Had to capitalize your "G" - - just a small pet peeve of mine! :happydance

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

well i am trying to get you to smile but not teasing the walley run on the wolfe starts in april and runs for about 3 weeks then moves south to poygan, all you have to do is get here, i will supply the rest, you should come, really, dt

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

thanks renda, you good friend, and editor, lol,dt

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Wow that is a powerful statement!

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

I think so too and not sure I have ever heard it before - - why not?

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Someone said just today on the radio that the saying, "Time heals all wounds" is untrue. Time can often make a bad situation worse.

And the fact that time sometimes wounds all heels should give us pause, as others have so wonderfully stated. Vengeance is indeed the Lord's doing.

But God in His infinite wisdom and mercy CAN take what the enemy meant for bad and turn it into a blessing.

This is one of my favorite quotes by Bishop Jakes...

He said re the past, "God does not gives us amnesia so that we do not remember the wrong. What He does is take the pain out of the memory."

Only God can do this.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

It is great and I'm putting it in my memory bank for future reference....

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Very good words Barb, I don't know how many times I have ran into a saint of God that the wound they experienced 30+ years ago is still fresh in their minds today.


Healing is a process and sometimes not very easy. We need God's help to forgive, and the hurt doesnt always leave overnight-it may take some time.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

It's a really good saying, just shows God doesn't need our permission to do what he thinks is right.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

How about this:

We are to pray for enemies, for God to bless them.
I did this, and God blessed them!!!!

Last year he made 800,000 bucks in earnings!!!

Woaaaaa, God"??

I thought we were just supposed to go through the motions????

You were supposed to fry thier hides!

Then I put the shoes on the other foot.

What if it was me that did something worthy of divine retribution?

Lam 3:22 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
Lam 3:23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.


Then I am grateful that I prayed mercy.

God will fix what is wrong!

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Awesome!

I have always loved the story of Joseph for that reason. It shows the

type of love Jesus expressed on the cross, "Father, forgive them for they

know not (don't realize) what they are doing". If they had they would not

have crucified the king of glory.

Blessings,

Falla39

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Just suppose we were in time brought before the "judgement" seat or place

of Christ to give an account of the deeds done in this body, whether it be good

or whether it be evil. If we were brought there and the one/ones who had

wronged us were also made to appear there. And the Judge of all ages were

to present or bring us both back to the place of that wrong done to us or if

perhaps the person we had wronged...face to face. The Judge asks us what

we do you desire for this person that wronged you! What would we say! Or if

the person we had wronged was asked of HIM what they would desire to

happen to us. WHAT would we say to these things. I have had to deal with

this thought in my distant past and after many years I believe I know the

answer. What would your answer be? This is not really for you to answer

but to think about what you would say or wish them to say against you.

I Cor.4:5 is a good verse as well as others. Also I Cor.6:1-1-5

Blessings,

Falla39

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

I have a question....

How do you know that something is the "vengeance of the Lord" and not just the consequences for someone's stupidity, or just bad luck for that matter?

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

PP, there is no way that someone can just take a "forgiveness pill" and forget out wrongs done to us. However, we do have a choice as to how those things will affect us. The people who have wronged us are truly blind and really think that they are pleasing God because that is what they have been taught. However, they are as blind as we used to be and need to have the sight we now have. That is why we need to pray for the mercy of God upon them so that they too can be set free.

No matter how much we forgive, the wound still hurts until it is completely healed. Some wounds NEVER heal and we don't get OVER them, we just need to get THROUGH them!! I've been through that more than once!!! Although, I thought once was enough. Apparently, the Lord thought otherwise. He is still faithful and I really don't want God to "get" them unless it is to set them free.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

The same way when you are blessed that you know it is from the Lord--it's a choice to give Him credit for answering your prayers or meeting your needs.

I remember one time a landlord cheated my husband and I out of our deposit--we were annoyed, but "over it"--but my mother was more upset about it, and said that he would reap what he had sown. His house remained empty and unrented for over a year! (And then his ex-wife moved into it.)

Vengeance of the Lord? :coffee2 God's law of sowing and reaping in action?

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

Actually, I don't know that either.

Re: Today, I Saw One of the Most Horrifying Things
 

I have heard this preached before. You all are right that it is a very powerful concept to internalize. I just wish I could remember when, where, and from whom I heard it.