Psalm 64:7-8 (NIV)

But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.

I love movies that feature military snipers. While chaos reigns around them, they quietly find a perch that overlooks the madness. Their actions are sometimes slow…but always deliberate. And while the enemy is engaged with ground forces that are up close and personal, the sniper watches it all unfold without being noticed. Even though his fellow soldiers know he is “somewhere out there,” they tend to forget as the action intensifies. And while the enemy may think they are safe – or even winning – the sniper can end that false sense of security suddenly and without warning when he decides to pull the trigger.

Far too often, we are like weary and/or confused ground troops who forget that one of their best is watching from overhead, ready to take action on their behalf. King David didn’t have that problem. “God will shoot them down with his arrows” (v.7) is not a prayer request, but a declarative statement. In Psalm 20:7 David declares, “Some boast of chariots and some of horses; but we boast of the name of the Lord our God.” David knew who was really in charge of everything…and he was willing to wait on his Sovereign to bring deliverance, or vengeance, or both.

In our flesh, it’s easy to assume the role of judge, jury, and executioner. We plot how we might respond to some injustice via revenge or gossip while Christ implores us to love our enemies, pray for them and seek to do them good. We are to forgive them for whatever they have done to us, even though they do not acknowledge that they have done anything wrong. Our attitude in these moments is to demonstrate the love of God shown to us when he offered his forgiveness while we were still his enemies. As for God’s part, no injustice goes unnoticed and every single one of them will meet with his judgment. “While they were bending their bows, the great Lord had prepared his bow already, and he let slip the shaft when least they looked for such an unsparing messenger of justice. ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.’ The righteous need not learn the arts of self-defense or of attack; their avenging is in better hands than their own” (Spurgeon).

We must not delight in the judgment that is to come, but we can rest in its eventuality and perfect justice. Under God’s watchful eye and authority, not a single crime will go unpunished. Any and all sinful action taken against you will be paid for – either by the perpetrator, forever in hell, if they refuse to repent and place their faith in Christ – or it was already paid for by Christ himself on that old rugged cross, if the perpetrator turns to Him in faith one day. “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thes. 1:6-8).