Our Hero

Have anyone ever hurt you?  Perhaps someone who was suppose to love and protect you failed.  Perhaps worse.   Perhaps the person who was designed to defend you deserted, mistreated or abused you?  The broken hearts suffered in a world full of sin can leave one cynical, outraged, and hopeless.

The world is full of carcasses of shattered dreams, stolen innocence, physical oppression, and despondency.

The adversary of this world takes aim to tear down the people of God.  God's most prized creation is his sworn enemy. His ammunition may not be metal bullets or and grenades, but the affects can be just as devastating.

 In this world of chaos and calamity, we need a hero.  We need someone who will come to our defense and save us.  People may intentionally or unintentionally hurt us.  We may even be our own worse enemy at times with poor decisions.  

Our first inclination may be to fight back or to "let them have it".  When we are hurting, we can want to lash out so others will hurt.  If we have hurt ourselves, we may even punish ourselves. 

About a year and a half ago, I was going through a hard time.  Someone I loved hurt me deeply.  For months, I toiled with how to respond.  I was full of unforgiveness and bitterness, although I didn't realize it at the time. 

I wrote this person a letter laying out all the ways they had hurt me and how wrong they had been in their accusations.  I had every intention of mailing this letter to "let them have it", but God intervened. 

God revealed to me the unforgiveness in my heart.  He revealed the bitterness and offense I had allowed to fester until it was a poison running through my veins and out into other areas of my life. 

God opened my eyes and spoke these words...."Let Me defend you."

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.  Ex 14:14

The Lord showed me that the only letter he wanted me to write was one that said, "I have been offended, please forgive me."

God, are you kidding?  I can't write that letter.  You know what that person said to me.  You know how that person hurt me.  God responded again, "Let Me defend you."   

I wish I could say I immediately wrote that letter.  It took weeks of prayer and reading The Bait of Satan by John Bevere to change my heart to the point of complete surrender.  (Great book!  Highly recommend it for dealing with offense.) 

When we hold on to the hurt someone caused us, we cannot forgive them.  Forgiveness gives us freedom from the hurt.  By holding on to the hurt, we are actually harming ourselves.  The person that hurt me didn't cause the poison of unforgiveness and bitterness in me, I did that. 

We have the choice to allow those bullets aimed at us to destroy us or draw us to our Healer. 

Perhaps there is someone you need to forgive today.  Maybe it is someone who caused you a lifetime of hurt.  Maybe it is yourself.   Forgive them.  Forgive yourself.

The Lord has seen the injustice and hurt, and it breaks His heart as well.   Let the Lord defend you.  Let the Lord fight for you.  The battle is His.  We have a hero and He WINS. 

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of flesh; is there anything too hard for me?  Jeremiah 32:27

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and I am helped:  therefore my heart greatly rejoices and with my son I praise him.  Psalms 28:7

Fear not for I am with you, do not be afraid for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you.  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10