Waiting on Divine Retribution

 

By: Sarah Geringer 

Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way;

say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”

Isaiah 35:3-4 HCSB

Are you waiting on divine retribution? If you have been attacked by unloving and ungodly people or institutions, you may be fervently longing for justice to be served.

Being attacked hurts at the deepest levels. Whether they attack you mentally, emotionally, physically, financially, relationally, or spiritually, your wounds run deep. 

Maybe you are feeling weak after being attacked. Whether your attack has just happened, or if you have been suffering for a long time, you may feel feeble, unsteady and afraid. You may wonder if you'll ever be strong enough to stand on your own again. 

Today's verse has such good news if you feel weak from being attacked. First God promises to strengthen us, steady us, and help us overcome our fears. We don't have to do this in our own power, and in fact, we can't. But God will help us do this because he is almighty to save.

God also promises to show up for us. He says he will come three times. When a word or phrase is repeated in close proximity in the Bible, it indicates a sure-fire truth. You can count on God to show up at just the right time to empower you.

God also promises to handle vengeance for us. When you have been hurt on such deep levels, it's human nature to seek revenge. But God can handle our problems so much better than we can. Since he's all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-seeing, he can observe the problem from many more angles and take care of it in the best possible way. 

Divine retribution is so much better than human retribution. The payback we want is often shorter-sighted and less effective than what God can do. He operates at the heart level, which we can rarely reach in others with our own words and actions. We know that God can even miraculously change hardened hearts, if that is his will. We can pray for God to give us patience as he reveals his will to us.

The final promise in this verse is that God will save us. When we are waiting for divine retribution, it's a comfort to know that God will rescue us from our pain. He will not allow us to drown in our circumstances; in fact, right now he's lifting us up over them with his righteous right hand, and will help us see them from a higher perspective (Is. 41:10)

If you are waiting on divine retribution, I pray these verses become your lifeline. It's helping me hang on in a very difficult situation. I need to trust that the Lion of Judah will handle it all in his perfect timing instead of taking any part of it into my own hands. I also love this song, which tells me God is my Defender who is fighting my battles for me while I praise, worship, bow down and stay still. 

I am learning to trust in God's perfect timing and ways as I wait for divine retribution, and I know he will help you in your struggle too, friend.

Need more encouragement? Check out my guest post for Proverbs 31 Ministries titled Scaling Walls in God's Strength HERE. Also, consider calling Focus on the Family for a free, one-time counseling call like I did years ago. It has made all the difference in my healing journey.

If you enjoyed this post, please share on your favorite social media site using the buttons below.

Have a blessed weekend!

Sarah Geringer
Finding Peace in God's Word

Photo from Canva.com

NOTE: I am an Amazon Influencer, and if you purchase items on Amazon from any of the links I've shared above, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you in advance for supporting my writing ministry with your purchases!