Even when we’re misunderstood and mistreated, God is with us

By Dean Collins

King David and King Jesus knew the realities of being misunderstood and mistreated. The book of Psalms records many examples of David’s agonizing over the many unjust trials he endured. Some of those writings were not just about David but also prophetically pointed to Jesus. Jesus was acquainted with sorrow, opposition, false accusations, and rejection to the very point of death. Our situations and struggles are nothing new.

Action steps

Sometimes we make it harder than necessary on ourselves because we insist on doing things our way and in our time. Action steps offered in Psalms and from Peter’s first letter can help us:

Trust in the Lord and do good. Our tendency is to trust self and hope what we do is good.
Dwell in the land and be faithful. Another way to say it is faithfully to stay put.
Commit your way to the Lord, and he will act. Our tendency is to act and hope God agrees.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Just think of all of the rushing we do.
Fret not over the evil others do. Our approach is usually to counterattack.
Refrain from anger. Don’t take revenge. We tend to justify our anger and our actions.

David described that God establishes our pathways as we trust him. He directs our steps. But notice that even as he does, we will stumble. We are neither perfect in our actions nor in our following. We trip and fall. However, David assures us that God holds our hand and keeps us from fatal injury. He is our stronghold. His strong hand lifts us back to our feet.

Wait on God

In the very next psalm of David, we move to another level of spiritual maturity. David described a season when people were telling lies about him and threatening his life and his work. His response and his instructions to us were not to listen to the negative chatter and threats. And then the harder one: “Don't respond,” but rather wait on God.

But what if God isn't fast enough? Do we really think God is too slow and he doesn’t see and know what we are experiencing? I suspect he knows far more.

Peter wrote to the church in times of great hardship and even persecution. His instructions to the church, which includes us, is to remember how Jesus acted when falsely accused and even tortured. His response: “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. “

Peter went on to remind us that Jesus took our sin and shame to the cross and that by his wounds we are healed. Jesus has ultimately resolved all of our deepest needs once and for all. If Jesus has done the hardest and most important work of canceling our sin and taking our punishment, then the question we must consider is this: Can Jesus handle the other problems we are facing today?

Every need

Peter and David agree that God is our shepherd and overseer. He is fully able to meet every need. He delivers us from every trouble. Our job is to trust him, to wait on him, to listen and watch for him, and not to worry about those issues and problems that come at the hands of others. God will deal with them just as he deals with us. His mercy and his love are overwhelmingly faithful. And his justice will come his way and in his time.

Lord, we confess we have a hard time waiting on you. Our impulse when attacked or questioned is to reply and even to attack. Forgive us when we try to do your job. Today we will slow down and pray. Today we will seek you with all of our heart and lean on your understanding as we wait for you to show us the next steps. Thank you for bearing the weight of our sins and for your forgiveness. We will show our gratitude by our obedience to you today. We give you praise now and will declare your glory for the victories you have in store for us today. Amen.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37‬:‭3‬-‭9‬, ‭18‬-‭19‬, ‭23‬-‭24‬, ‭39‬-‭40‬ ‭ESV‬‬; ‭‭Psalm ‭38‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬; ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭21‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV

Photo by Tobi at www.pexels.com

To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.