October 13, 2026 Devo

A few years ago, there was a story in the news about two men who got into a road rage incident. One man felt as if the other driver tried to run him off the road. That led to obscene gestures, throwing things at each other’s cars, and yelling. One man eventually fired a shot at the other man’s car, missing the man but hitting the man’s five-year-old daughter in the leg. That man then pulled out a gun and started shooting back, wounding the other man’s fourteen-year-old daughter. Eventually, they pulled off the road and started fighting. They were both arrested and taken to jail.
Revenge has a boomerang effect. Sometimes, as in the road rage case I shared, it can be dangerous and deadly. I’m sure neither one of those fathers ever dreamed that their daughters would be the victims of their lack of control. All that was on their minds was making sure the other guy knew he wasn’t getting away with it. Each one wanted the last word. But the “last word” wasn’t the word they were expecting. In the words of Gordon MacDonald, “You can control your choices, but you can’t control the consequences of those choices.”
When Daniel was selected by the king to be the head over all of the kingdom, the other officials felt slighted. So they plotted to get Daniel killed. When the king agreed to their edict of not allowing anyone to worship anyone other than the king, the officials were quite proud of themselves. Their plan worked. Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. They had their revenge at last. Only they didn’t. God closed the lions’ mouths and exonerated Daniel. In light of this miracle, the king had the conniving officials and their families thrown into the lions’ den. This time the lions did their job. The boomerang of revenge had come back in a devastating way.
Take this lesson to heart. I know it’s hard to let people get away with stuff, especially when you feel as if you can really get them good. But God can’t honor a vengeful heart. In fact, God says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” You’re better off giving them over to God and letting Him have the last say. Revenge may feel good at first, but don’t forget. The boomerang effect of revenge can be more painful than you can imagine. And even those you love may have to pay the price. That’s God’s Word for you today.