Friday 1st January
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
When you are being unjustly treated, "wait for the Lord"!
There are two things happening in this passage that seem like things that don't work together.
On the one hand I am being treated unjustly by "the man who carries out wicked schemes." This would naturally cause "anger" and "wrath" and make me "fret". But on the other hand I am "resting in the Lord" and "waiting patiently for the Lord."
The ability to respond to injustice in this way makes the Christian totally different from those around him or her. How natural it is to fret in this kind of situation, and how supernatural to be at rest in your heart even though people are treating you unjustly!
Fretting and anxiety and anger don't solve the situation at all, do they? Rather, they only hurt you and drag you down. But if you acknowledge that God is in control and you submit your life to following His will for you, then you know that He is involved in this situation, and so you can rest within.
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