“Turn us, O God of our salvation, And cause thine anger toward us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: That thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, And grant us thy salvation.”
Psalm 85:4-7 KJV,https://bible.com/bible/1/psa.85.4-7.KJV
Blessed are the Persecuted
It’s not always easy to stand for what’s right—especially when someone makes fun of you, gossips about you, lies about you, or even abuses you because of your decision.
But when sharing the eighth of the beatitudes—a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom—Jesus offered some hope:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10 NIV
Leading up to this verse, Jesus had spoken unexpected blessings over an unlikely group: the poor in spirit, those who were mourning, the meek, those craving righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers. Finally, He offered a blessing to the persecuted.
Jesus elaborated:
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew ...