Do You Ever Feel Mistreated?

Posted bySteven WalesPosted inGod Who Sees and Hears, God's Justice and MercyTags:, , ,

Have you ever been treated unfairly? Have you ever felt left out by friends or teammates or family? God sees. He knows what happened and He knows how bad it feels. Can you forgive? Can you leave the problem in God’s hands and trust Him to make things right?

We are called to trust Him, to forgive and let Him handle it.

In Genesis 31, Jacob (the deceiver) complains of having been deceived and cheated by his father-in-law Laban. For twenty years Jacob served Laban and for twenty years, Laban constantly tried to take advantage of Jacob. But one night God spoke to Jacob in a dream. Jacob had made a deal with Laban that would allow Laban to keep all the white sheep from Laban’s flocks, but Jacob could take the spotted (flawed) sheep:

“Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ ”He said, ‘Lift up now your eyes and see that all the male goats which are mating are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you” Genesis 31: 11-12.

God tells Jacob, “I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you.” That reminds me of another passage where God tells Moses he has seen the way the Egyptians are abusing the people of Israel. God hears your cries too. God sees when you are abused. God knows when you suffer. And He will make it better. He will bring justice. He will comfort you in your affliction.

In this case, God says that He knows Laban is trying to trick Jacob out of the payment that he owes him for his work, but God is going to make sure Jacob gets what he deserves. God can take care of our needs as well.

He sees when we suffer. He knows how bad it feels. And He will take care of us.

Ask God for the patience to endure suffering, and the patience to trust Him, and the grace and humility to forgive those who take advantage of us. And for the wisdom to know when we need to defend ourselves and when we need to leave it in His hands.

Dear God, thank you that you have seen our suffering, that you know how we feel, and you understand our hurts even when those closest to us may not understand. Help us to forgive and leave our grievances in your powerful hands.

ΑΩ

Published by Steven Wales

Dad's Daily Devotional began as text messages to my family. I wanted my teenagers to know their father was reading the Bible. But they were at school by then. Initially, I sent them a favorite verse or an insight based on what I read each day. That grew into drafting a devotional readng which I would send them via text. I work as an attorney and an adjunct professor, and recently wrote a book called HOW TO MAKE A'S.

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