When God has given you time to recover from the abuse and trouble and harsh servitude that you had to endure, you can amuse yourselves by taking up this satire, a taunt against the king of Babylon. (Isaiah 14:3-4, MSG)
I love this verse. Get this, everyone who has ever experienced abuse or hard times or oppression: God gets it. He understands. He doesn't expect us to get up and walk away as if nothing ever happened.
He gives us time to recover, That fact has so many implications. For one thing, He knows what I went through. He doesn't explain why He allowed it to happen--but He saw. He cared.
For another thing, anyone who has suffered from abuse, trouble, servitude, needs time to heal and recover. I'm a big believer that forgiveness is a process. God allowed and shared my feelings of anger. But I prayed for my enemies--and in time that helped me to see their stunted lives. In time--a long time--I was able to commit an act of forgiveness.
How strange, but how satisfying, that God breaks into that time of healing by offering amusement at the cost of the our enemies.
God may not ask us to write a satire--although if you want to write one, that would be fine too. But is it all right to make fun of our enemies? To laugh at their misfortunes? This passage suggests that's okay.
And you know what? As I prayed for my enemy, I saw his disasters. A part of me rejoiced. Another part felt sorry for him. As long as he refused to repent, he had a lifetime of unhappiness ahead of him.
When the Germans tore down the Berlin Wall--when Iraqis tore down the statue of Saddam Hussein--maybe God was there, celebrating the victory against oppression.
I know He celebrates when one of His children is delivered.
Wonderful Message Great Words
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