Handing Over the Prisoner

Woman: If I forgive him, how do I know anything will change? I mean, I can’t just let him off the hook . . . can I?”

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: We all have a natural desire for justice to be done, and it can keep us from forgiving other people. We think that if we offer forgiveness, it means they’ll “get away with it.” The problem is, we’re putting ourselves in the position of a bill collector.

Romans 12 has something to say about that: “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (v.19).

When we forgive someone, it’s like taking a prisoner who’s been in our custody and handing him over to the One who is truly responsible and able to mete out justice.

Have you been holding someone in the prison of unforgiveness? Remember, that’s not your job. As you let him go, you’ll find that you’ve been set free.

With Seeking Him, I’m Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.