Some things have really been bothering us. For the past year or so, we have really struggled with some shocking events to fall in our laps and Terry and I look at each other without words over most of it.
How some people can be so evil and manipulative saddens and angers me, quite frankly.
I have been praying and asking Papa to change my heart. To soften my heart so I am not so angry and bitter about these events/people.
My prayer has been, “Sweet Papa. Please work on me. Change my heart. Remove the bitterness and anger I have. Please don’t let their evil ways consume my thoughts. Remind me of your good everywhere I look so I will focus on you and not them.”
I realized one night as I prayed this prayer, my heart is like a tightly sealed jar. I had just tried to open a new jar of banana peppers to make a pizza earlier in the evening and had the most difficult time. I smiled as I prayed and told God, “My heart is like that jar isn’t it? It has a tight seal on it now from all of the damage, but I know you can change it. I know you can loosen it to let your love pour into me.”
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.” Psalm 37:7-10 (NIV)
The refraining from anger and turning from wrath part; do not fret - it only leads to evil. Yep. I needed that reminder, because I wanted to rent a plane and pull messages behind it telling the world about the wrongs done to us. When we place our worries, our fears, our concerns, the heartache from the wrongs done to us in Papa’s hands, all we have to do is sit back and trust Him. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”
Yes, I understand it is easier said than done, but when our faith is challenged, growth is granted. The Holy Spirit is nudging us during those seasons of trial. When we want to rent that airplane to pull the message behind it about how awful someone was; we need to instead trust God to intervene. We need to be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. When that scripture says, “do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes,” that means take a deep breath. Do not freak out when it seems like the evildoers “got away with it,” because they didn’t.
It seems like people get away with doing evil things; lying, stealing, cheating others in life … but Papa sees all, Papa hears all, Papa knows all.
Do not let the evil people who have stolen from you or lied to you make your heart grow bitter. Do not allow your heart to become like that jar I could not open … so sealed shut you do not allow God’s grace and love to pour into it.