Greetings! We read Psalm 35 today. We read that David was facing his enemies. He prayed for God to intervene amidst the betrayal, slander, and threats from every direction. David was facing overwhelming injustice (the enemies pursued him “without cause”!) Yet, he put his hope and trust in God. He knew God will met out the ultimate judgement and vindicate him.
Be Real. Acknowledge your pain and suffering. When we come to God, we do not need to pretend, we do not need to be shy. Tell him how bad it is.
Do not Take Things into Your Own Hands. Was David angry with his enemies? I think he was. Yet, he did not hit back. He trust God to vindicate him. He knew vengeance is God’s. He trusted God’s justice and timing.
Hold on to Your Values. When we face oppression, persecution, opposition, it is quite easy to retaliate. They fired the first shot! They started it! We are tempted to justify our temporary “insanity”. Do not let that happen. Hold on to your values. Keep your integrity. Continue to walk upright. May what we say / do / think reflect God’s truth, goodness, and beauty. This is not going to be easy, No one said it is easy to follow Christ.
Find Hope in God’s Faithfulness. When we read Psalm 35, it seemed that everything was going wrong. However, David chose to put his hope on God. He knew God was faithful. When we look to God, we look at the bigger picture. We look at eternity.
Having been betrayed or treated unfairly 287 or more times, can you remember how do you mostly react or respond? Did you regret any of those time you lashed out instead of seeking God? How can you cultivate a deeper trust in God’s justice and timing, no matter how deserving that enemy is of an immediate judgement? How can you remind yourself to focus on your character and integrity even in the midst of challenging circumstances?
Leave a Reply