This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions. We're looking at Proverbs chapter 20
today, and the verse we're going to focus on in Proverbs 20 is Proverbs 20 verse
22, which says, "Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong. ' Wait for the
Lord, and He will deliver you.

" We live in what I would call a don't-get-mad-get-even society. Movies and TV,
a lot of our entertainments, make this seem very attractive. In these
entertainments, you see an injustice done and then you see revenge exacted in
120 minutes or less.

We all like that. I have to admit, I like that. It's entertaining to see that
that happens, but that entertainment that you see in a movie in real life have
nothing to do with each other.

I don't have to tell you that life is not at all like our entertainment. There
is no the end at the conclusion of our attempts to take revenge into our own
hands. There is just continuing pain and hurt.

There's just an escalation of anger and retributions that goes on and on and on.
And you might feel good for a moment, you might not, but then the bitterness is
going to come back in full force. Sometimes, it's interesting when we read the
wisdom in the book of Proverbs, God's wisdom sometimes challenges us to do
exactly the opposite of our natural reaction.

And his advice about revenge is one of those times. Instead of paying people
back, we're asked to wait on God. I think it's significant that this verse
encourages us not even to say, "I'll get revenge.

" Notice that? Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong. " Don't even say
it.

I know a lot of people who would never actually go after someone, who will talk
and think about revenge sometimes for years. They'll talk a big game, never do
anything about it. And you think, "Well, you know, they're just talking.

It doesn't mean anything. " No, this verse says that impacts your heart with
bitterness and anger. So don't even say it.

Instead, instead wait for the Lord, because in the right time and in the right
way, he will deliver you. You can trust in him to deal justly with the one who
wronged you. You may have this on your mind right now.

You may have been wronged in some way by someone. It may have been this week. It
may have been this day.

It may have been 10, 20 years ago. It may have been 15, 13 years ago. Right now,
turn that desire for retribution and revenge over to him.

You may think, "That desire has been in my mind, my heart for a long time. How
am I going to deal with it in just one prayer? " It's not just one prayer.

You keep praying that prayer. How do you take a desire for revenge, for
retribution when anger is such a strong emotion? How do you turn that over to
God?

You turn it over to him every time the emotion comes up, which sometimes might
be dozens, even hundreds of times in a day. You just keep turning it over to him
again and again and again. Every time the emotion hits you, every time the anger
hits you, you say, "God, that's a reminder.

I'm waiting on you because I believe, I trust that you will deliver me. You are
more just than I ever could be. You have more power than I ever will have.

I can trust you with this circumstance. God, I am tired of this eating me up
inside. " Right now, as much as you can, turn that desire for retribution, for
revenge over to him.

I know a few things harder to do, but I also know a few things that bring more
refreshment and joy when we do them. Our father, when we carry unforgiveness in
our heart towards another person, Jesus told us clearly, "It's deeply damaging
to our relationship with you. " It's deeply damaging to our daily life, the
anger, the bitterness that comes.

They don't know that we have this anger even in our hearts, but it's eating us
every single day. So right now, God, we turn it over to you. We say, "I will
wait for the Lord because I can trust in the Lord, and he will deliver me.

" God, if I have to pray this prayer a hundred times today, that's what I'm
going to do. I'm going to say to you again and again, "I will wait for the Lord
because I can trust in the Lord, because I know that he will deliver me. " I
pray this prayer of faith in Jesus' name.

Amen.