How God Deals With Those Who Hurt You - Billy Graham

[Music] God sees everything there is nothing hidden from his sight no secret no lie no betrayal that escapes his attention he is the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end the one who watches over the Earth with perfect knowledge when you have been hurt when you have been betrayed when someone has wronged you in ways that feel unbearable you may wonder if God even notices you may cry out in frustration asking why he allowed it why he remained silent why he didn't step in the moment the pain was inflicted but let me assure

you not a single tear has fallen from your eyes without him seeing it not a single Injustice has gone unnoticed the Bible tells us in Proverbs 1 153 the eyes of the Lord are in every place keeping watch on the evil and the good that means there is no deception no cruelty no sin that goes unseen by the creator of Heaven and Earth the wicked May believe they have escaped judgment that their actions are hidden that they have gotten away with what they have done but God knows he sees the heart of every man and

woman he discerns the motives behind every action he is never deceived by appearances never fooled by words never caught off guard by the schemes of the wicked think about Hagar the servant of Sarah in the Book of Genesis she was mistreated cast out wandering in the wilderness feeling abandoned and alone but it was there in her place of suffering that the Lord appeared to her and she called him Elroy which means the God who sees me she wasn't forgotten she wasn't invisible God had been watching over her the whole time and he provided for her

even in her distress the same is true for you when someone betrays you when you are mistreated when people whisper lies behind your back when someone tries to destroy what God is doing in your life you can be sure that the Lord sees it all he is not a distant Observer he is not indifferent he is watching and he will act in his perfect time consider the story of Joseph his own brothers sold him into slavery they despised him they plotted against him and they believed they had removed him from their lives forever but God

saw when Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison abandoned in a dark cell for a crime he didn't commit God saw when it seemed as if the wicked had triumphed God was still in control he was orchestrating every event positioning Joseph for something greater working behind the scenes in ways no one could see and in the end Justice came Joseph was not only lifted out of prison but he was elevated to a place of honor and the very people who had tried to destroy him were brought to their knees before him God's justice may

not come in the way we expect or in the timing we desire but it always comes no one can escape his judgment no one can outmaneuver his wisdom the proud will be humbled the Wicked Will face the consequences of their actions the innocent will be Vindicated it may not happen immediately it may not happen in the way you envision but God is faithful and he will deal with every Act of evil according to his perfect righteousness when you are hurting when you feel forgotten when you wonder if Justice will ever come remember that God is

watching he has not turned his face away he has not ignored your suffering he has not missed a single detail the hands that formed the universe that set the stars in place that control the rise and fall of nations are the same hands that hold your life the one who spoke the world into existence is the same one who watches over you Vengeance Belongs to the Lord this is a truth that runs throughout scripture a Divine principle that reveals both the justice and mercy of God when we are wrong when someone hurts us betrays us

or seeks to destroy what God is doing in our lives the natural reaction is to strike back to seek Justice on our own terms our human nature cries out for Retribution we want to make them feel the pain they inflicted on us we want to see them suffer as we have suffered but God's word tells us something different Romans 12:19 declares do not take revenge my dear friends but leave room for God's Wrath for it is written vengeance is mine I will repay says the Lord there is a reason why Vengeance belongs to God and

not to us human Justice is flawed our emotions Cloud our judgment we see only a fraction of the picture our anger our pain and our sense of Injustice can drive us to act in ways that are not aligned with God's will but God sees everything he knows every detail every hidden motive every secret that has not yet come to light he judges with perfect righteousness without bias without error his Justice is not driven by emotion but by absolute truth look at the story of David and Saul Saul was a king consumed by jealousy a man

who relentlessly pursued David seeking to kill him without cause David had multiple opportunities to take matters into his own hands he could have killed Saul in the cave when Saul was vulnerable his men even encouraged him to do it telling him that this was his moment of justice but David refused he would not take Vengeance into his own hand he understood that Saul was still God's anointed and it was not his place to execute judgment instead he trusted God to deal with Saul in his own time and God did Saul's life ended in disgrace and

David was elevated to the throne not by his own hand but by God's divine plan vengeance is dangerous when placed in human hands it corrupts the heart poisons the soul and leads to a cycle of Destruction when we take revenge we are not just f fighting against our enemies we are fighting against God's Authority we are telling him that we do not trust his Justice that we must take matters into our own hands because we fear he will not act but God's justice is never late it is never weak it is never uncertain he knows

exactly how and when to deal with those who have wronged his children think of Joseph's brothers they sold him into slavery an act of Cruelty driven by jealousy they believed they had rid themselves of him that he was gone forever but God was watching he did not allow Joseph's suffering to be wasted he did not allow the Injustice to go unanswered years later those same Brothers stood before Joseph trembling as the tables had completely turned but Joseph did not take revenge he did not strike them down or make them suffer as they had made him

suffer instead he understood that God had been working all along even through the Betrayal Justice had been served but it was God's justice not man's when we hold on to Vengeance we hold on to chains bitterness anger and hatred become our prison we think that by seeking Revenge we will find peace but the opposite is true the more we chase after Vengeance the more we are consumed by it but when we release it to God when we place Justice in his hands we are freed from that burden we can move forward in faith knowing that

he will deal with every wrong in his perfect Time the wicked do not Escape God's judgment they may believe they have succeeded that they have outmaneuvered Justice that they have gotten away with their sin but God is Not mocked he has declared that Vengeance belongs to him and he does not break his word no one outruns the justice of God the proud will be humbled the oppressors will face their Reckoning the Liars the betrayers the wicked they will all stand before him no crime no deception no Act of Cruelty goes unseen by the all Mighty

he will repay he will judge and his judgment will be perfect God calls you to forgive it is not a suggestion not an option to consider when you feel like it it is a command Jesus said in Matthew 61415 for if you forgive other people when they sin against you your heavenly father will also forgive you but but if you do not forgive others their sins your father will not forgive your sins these words are not spoken lightly they reveal a powerful truth forgiveness is not just about the person who hurt you it is about

your own soul it is about your relationship with God holding on to unforgiveness is like carrying a heavy chain around your heart a burden that only weighs you down while the other person moves on unaffected forgiveness is one of the hardest things God asks of us because it goes against our human nature when someone hurts us our natural instinct is to hold on to that pain to build walls of protection to make sure they never get the chance to do it again we want them to feel what we felt we want Justice and often we

want revenge but God calls us to something greater he calls us to release the anger the bitterness the resentment and to place everything in his hands Jesus himself showed us what forgiveness looks like as he hung on the cross beaten humiliated and nailed to the wood by the very people he came to save he could have called down Legions of angels to destroy them he could have demanded immediate Justice instead head he looked up to heaven and said father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing Luke 2334 that kind of forgiveness

is beyond human strength it is divine and yet that is the very forgiveness we are called to extend to others many people believe that forgiving someone means excusing what they did letting them off the hook or pretending that the pain never happened but that is not what forgiveness is forgiveness does not mean that what they did was right it does not mean you have to trust them again it does not mean you have to allow them back into your life forgiveness is not about them it is about you and God it is about refusing to

let the enemy keep you in bondage the enemy wants you to hold on to unforgiveness because he knows what it does to your heart unforgiveness turn turns into bitterness and bitterness poisons your soul it hardens you blinds you keeps you from receiving the peace that God wants to give you it creates distance between you and God because he has already told you that if you do not forgive you will not be forgiven the enemy wants you trapped in that cycle reliving the pain over and over again keeping your wounds open never allowing you to to

heal but God has called you to something greater he has called you to Freedom look at Joseph his brothers betrayed him sold him into slavery and left him for dead he had every reason to hate them every reason to seek revenge when he was finally in a position of power but what did he do he forgave them he chose to see the hand of God in his suffering he told them in Genesis 502 you intended to harm me but God intended it for good that is the perspective of someone who has given their pain to

God someone who refuses to let bitterness take root someone who understands that forgiveness is not weakness it is strength forgiving does not mean forgetting it does not mean acting as if nothing happened but it does mean surrender ing your right to take justice into your own hands it means trusting that God sees what was done to you and he will deal with it in his perfect way forgiveness is an Act of Faith it is believing that God is your Defender that he will heal your heart that he will handle the situation far better than you

ever could some wounds are deep some betrayals feel impossible to forgive but forgiveness is not something you do by Your Own Strength it is something God enables you to do when you surrender to him when you make the decision to forgive even before your emotions catch up God steps in he gives you Grace he gives you the healing he begins to release the burden you have been carrying for so long there are people who live their whole lives trapped in bitterness never experiencing the fullness of what God has for them because they refuse to forgive

but that is not what God wants for you he wants you to walk in Freedom he wants you to release the burden he wants you to trust him with Justice with the healing with the restoration and that begins with forgiveness God uses pain for your growth this is a truth that is often difficult to accept especially in the midst of suffering pain is something we instinctively avoid something we pray to be delivered from something that feels unfair when it enters our lives but God never allows pain without a purpose every tear every hardship every trial

is shaping you into the person he has called you to be nothing is wasted in his hands what the enemy intends for harm God can transform into something that strengthens your faith deepens your character and draws you closer to him the Bible is filled with stories of men and women who endured pain and suffering not because God had abandoned them but because he was preparing them for something greater look at Joe he was a man who was blameless before God a man of integrity yet he lost everything his family his wealth his health his suffering

was so so great that even his closest friends questioned if he had done something wrong but God had not forsaken him job's pain was not meaningless it was a test of faith a refining fire that revealed his trust in God and in the end God restored everything he had lost and more Joseph was betrayed by his own Brothers thrown into a pit sold into slavery falsely accused and imprisoned every step of his journey seemed to be another layer of suffering another blow to his dreams but God was not punishing him he was preparing him had

Joseph never been betrayed he would have never ended up in Egypt had he never been falsely accused he would have never been placed in prison where he met the cup Bearer who would later introduce him to pharaoh and had he never been forgotten in that prison he would have never been elevated to a position of power at just the right time to save his family from famine Joseph's pain was not wasted it was a part of God's divine plan to position him exactly where he needed to be pain strips away our illusions of control it

humbles us it forces us to recognize our need for God when life is easy when everything is going according to our plans it is easy to rely on ourselves but suffering brings us to our knees it reminds us that we are not in control that we cannot fix everything that we desperately need the presence and power of God and in that place of surrender something incredible happens our faith deepens we begin to trust God in ways we never have before we learn to lean on him to depend on his strength rather than our own Paul

understood this when he wrote in Corinthians 129 but he said to me my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power May rest on me Paul had a thorn in the flesh something that caused him deep pain something he pleaded with God to take away but God did not remove it instead he used it to show Paul that his grace was enough sometimes the pain we want God to take away is the very thing he is

using to display his power in our lives suffering refines us like gold in the fire it burns turns away the impurities The Pride the self-sufficiency and leaves behind a faith that is pure a character that is strong a heart that is fully surrendered to God it is in the furnace of Affliction that we become who he has called us to be there are things we learn in pain that we would never learn in Comfort there is a depth of relationship with God that can only be found in the valley in the moments when we have

nothing left but him pain also teaches us compassion when we have suffered we are able to understand the suffering of others we are able to comfort them to encourage them to walk alongside them with the same Grace that God extended to us our wounds become Our Testimony the very things the enemy meant to destroy us become the very things that equip us to help others others God never wastes pain what feels like breaking is often the process of remaking what feels like the end is often the beginning of something greater what seems like a season

of suffering is often a season of preparation he is shaping you molding you strengthening you and when you come through the fire you will not be the same you will be stronger you will be wiser you will be more like Christ God's justice is perfect in a world filled with corruption dishonesty and unfairness it is easy to wonder if True Justice will ever be served people deceive the wicked Prosper the innocent suffer and it often seems as if those who do evil Escape without consequence but God sees it all and he is not indifferent his

Justice is not flawed like human Justice his judgment is never late never biased never mistaken it is perfect and it will come at the right time in the right way the Bible declares in Deuteronomy 32:4 he is the rock his works are perfect and all his ways are just a faithful God who does no wrong upright and just is he unlike human judges who can be swayed by money power or influence God is Incorruptible he does not turn a blind eye to evil he does not Overlook wrongdoing he does not let the guilty go unpunished

he is the ultimate judge and his verdict is final many times in life we feel the weight of Injustice pressing upon us we see people who have lied cheated and harmed others continue to thrive while those who have remained faithful struggle it is in these moments that doubt Creeps in and we begin to ask where is God why does he allow this to happen but the Bible reminds us in Psalm 377 be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him do not fret when people succeed in their ways when they carry out their wicked

schemes just because justice has not come yet does not mean it will not come God's timing is not ours his patience is not a sign of weakness but of his desire for people to turn from their Wicked Ways before judgment Falls look at Pharaoh in the book of Exodus he oppressed God's people enslaved them and refused to let them go despite numerous warnings for a time it seemed as if he would continue ruling with an Iron Fist unchallenged and undefeated but God had already determined the outcome the plagues that struck Egypt were not random they

were the unfolding of divine Justice Pharaoh's Pride led to his downfall and in the end he drowned in the Red Sea while the very people he had oppressed walked free Justice came in God's perfect way and at God's perfect time the story of hmon in the Book of Esther is another example of how God's justice ice operates hmon a powerful official plotted against the Jewish people and planned to have morai executed he built Gallows fully confident that his scheme would succeed but in a stunning reversal the very trap he set for morai became his own

downfall he was hanged on the same Gallows he had prepared for another this is how God works the wicked May plot they may scheme they may seem invincible but in the end they will fall by their own devices God's justice is not only about punishing the wicked it is also about vindicating the righteous when Joseph was thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit it appeared as though Injustice had won but God had a greater plan he raised Joseph up placed him in a position of power and allowed him to stand as a

living testimony that no Injustice can override God's purpose what man meant for evil God turned for good one of the greatest examples of God's justice is the cross of Jesus Christ Humanity was guilty of sin deserving of judgment and unable to save itself Justice demanded a price but Mercy made a way on the cross Justice and mercy met perfectly Jesus Took upon himself the punishment we deserved so that we could be justified before God no sin was overlooked no wrongdoing was excused every sin was paid for either on the cross or in Eternal judgment this

is the perfect justice of God to account the clergy who are the ones who actually do their part to make Grace to those who rep repent God's justice may not always be immediate but it is always certain the wicked May believe they have Escape that they have outmaneuvered consequences that their actions will remain hidden forever but nothing is hidden from God he sees every Act of Oppression every dishonest gain every betrayal every Injustice and he will bring judgment in his time the proud will be humbled the oppressor will fall the liar will be exposed no

one outruns the justice of God for those who have suffered Injustice there is comfort in knowing that God has not forgotten he has recorded every wrong he has seen every tear and he will make all things right there will be a day when every Injustice will be accounted for when every evil act will be answered and when the righteous will be Vindicated his Justice is not partial his Justice is not flawed his Justice is perfect God will restore what was lost loss is something that every person will experience at some point in life it comes

in many forms the loss of relationships opportunities Health time or even hope there are moments when life feels shattered Beyond repair when what was taken seems so great that restoration appears impossible but with God nothing is ever truly lost he is a god of restoration a God who takes what has been broken and makes it whole again a God who turns mourning into joy and ashes into Beauty the Bible is filled with stories of restoration showing us that loss is never to the end of the story when God is involved in the Book of Job

we see a man who lost everything his wealth his health and even his children his suffering was so great that he sat in ashes scraping his sores abandoned by friends and tormented by sorrow it seemed as if everything he had worked for everything he loved had been taken away but job remained faithful he did not understand understand why he was suffering but he continued to trust in God and in the end God restored him job 42:10 says after job had prayed for his friends the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as

he had before God did not just give back what was lost he gave back even more this is the nature of divine restoration it is never just about returning what was taken it is about making things better than they were before God's restoration is not always immediate and it does not always come in the way we expect sometimes we pray for a situation to be restored exactly as it was but God has something greater in mind Joseph Lost Years of his life when his brothers betrayed him throwing him into a pit and selling him into

slavy he lost his home his freedom and his sense of security he was was falsely accused and imprisoned for a crime he did not commit but God was not finished what seemed like Wasted Years were actually years of preparation God elevated Joseph to a position of power restoring him in such a way that he was able to save an entire nation from famine Genesis 5020 records Joseph's words to his brothers you intended to harm me but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives the pain the

Betrayal the years of suffering they were not wasted God was using them to position Joseph for something far greater than he could have imagined restoration does not always mean that God gives back exactly what was lost sometimes he gives back something different something greater Naomi in the Book of Ruth lost her husband and both of her sons she returned to Bethlehem in deep sorrow believing that her life was over but God had a plan through Ruth her daughter-in-law Naomi's life was restored in a way she never expected Ruth married Boaz and their child became a

source of joy and Redemption for Naomi what she thought was permanent loss was actually the pathway to a greater blessing God's restoration is not not limited to material things he restores broken hearts shattered faith and lost hope there are people who have lost their passion who have lost their sense of purpose who feel as if life has taken too much from them but God is still in the business of restoration Joel 2:25 says I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten God does not just restore things things he restores time he

can redeem the years that seemed wasted the opportunities that seem gone the dreams that seem dead he can bring back Joy where there was sorrow peace where there was turmoil and hope where there was despair no loss is too great for God to restore what the enemy has stolen God can return what was broken God can heal what SE destroyed God can rebuild his restoration is not just about giving back it is about making things whole again about showing his power and faithfulness in ways that are Beyond human understanding when God restores it is always

greater than what was lost always more than what was expected always a testimony of his unfailing love and grace your enemies are in God's hands there is no betray bet trayal no attack no Injustice that goes unseen by the Lord when people rise up against you when they scheme and plot when they try to bring harm to your life it can be easy to feel overwhelmed to feel as though you must fight back in your own strength but the truth is you do not have to carry that burden God is your Defender he sees every

word spoken against you every plan formed in secret every attempt to harm you and he will de deal with it in his perfect way the Bible makes it clear that God takes the matter of enemies seriously Romans 12:19 sayso 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 there is no need to seek Vengeance no need to fight battles that belong to God the same God who parted the Red Sea who shut the mouth of lions who brought

down entire armies for his people is the same God who fights for you today look at the story of David he was anointed to be king chosen by God yet he spent years being pursued by Saul who was consumed with jealousy and rage Saul tried to kill him hunted him down and saw him as an enemy David had opportunities to strike back to take matters into his own hands but he refused he knew that God was in control he knew that his enemy was in God's hands and in the end it was not David who

had to remove Saul God took care of it God's justice is perfect and his timing is always right sometimes it seems as though the wicked Prosper as though those who do wrong continue unchecked but nothing escapes the sight of God Psalm 37 one and John says do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong for like the grass they will soon wither like green plants they will soon die away no enemy can stand against the justice of God no oppressor will go unpunished no one who Rises against

a child of God will ultimately succeed Joseph was betrayed by his own Brothers they threw him into a pit sold him into slavery and left him for dead he could have spent his life filled with anger seeking Revenge but he trusted God years later when he stood before those same Brothers he did not take justice into his own hands instead he said in Genesis 50:20 you intended to harm me but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives God turned the Betrayal into a blessing the very

thing that was meant to destroy him was the thing that positioned him for his Destiny your enemies do not have the final say over your life the people who try to tear you down who speak against you who plot your downfall they are not in control God is and when you put your trust in him when you choose to leave your enemies in his hands you free yourself from the weight of bitterness from the burden of Revenge from the exhaustion of trying to fight battles that were never yours to fight Jesus himself showed us what

it means to leave our enemies in God's hands as he hung on the cross falsely accused mocked beaten and crucified by the very people he came to save he did not curse them he did not call down fire from heaven instead he said father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing Luke 23:34 that is the power of trust that is the power of knowing that God sees that God knows that God will handle everything in his perfect way God's way of dealing with your enemies is greater than anything you could imagine

he can humble the proud silence the wicked expose the deceitful and bring Justice in ways that are are Beyond human understanding sometimes he removes the enemy sometimes he changes the enemy's heart sometimes he uses the enemy to push you into your destiny however he chooses to act one thing is certain your enemies are in his hands and he will not fail to deal with them in his perfect way through every trial every betrayal every moment of suffering God remains Sovereign he sees the Injustice he knows the pain and he is never absent from your struggle

the enemies that rise against you the losses that seem unbearable the pain that feels unending none of it is beyond his control he is your Defender your healer your restorer his Justice is perfect his timing is precise and his plans cannot be stopped no wound is too deep for him to heal no wrong is too great for him to make right what was meant to harm you he can turn for good what was stolen he can restore what was broken he can redeem the battles you face are not yours to fight alone he fights for

you the weight of Vengeance of bitterness of anger is not yours to carry he will deal with your enemies the seasons of pain and loss are not without purpose he is shaping you strengthening you and leading you towards something greater trust in his Justice trust in his restoration trust in his power to use every hardship for your growth even when you cannot see it even when the pain seems unbearable even when the wait feels too long God is at work work his hands are never idle his Justice is never delayed his love is never failing

and in the end he will make all things right