As I have preached on Sundays and even written here many times, it’s not about how other people treat you, it is about how you treat them, and how you respond when someone treats you poorly. And I will also admit, that sometimes treating them the way Jesus tells us to treat them is a lot easier said than done. In today’s text for Blogging Through The Bible In 2020, we are going to see David praising the Lord for being his protector and deliverer. Psalm 18:20 says, “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.”
In the text, David ties him being delivered from Saul and his other enemies directly to the fact that he didn’t act wickedly or deceptively towards Saul. David continues that theme throughout Psalm 18. God will defend and deliver His children when their heart, their attitudes, their words, and their actions glorify Him. So, what are we to do when we are unfairly criticized or attacked?
1.Trust the Lord. This has been a steady theme throughout this series, especially as we have gotten into the life of David. We can trust the Lord to defend us and deliver us from baseless attacks, as long as, we are living righteously before Him. This is much more than just the words that we say or the things that we do. This also deals with our attitudes. Choosing to walk away and not respond will guard your heart and your testimony. How can we know that God will fight our battles, if we are always running ahead of Him and fighting them ourselves?
2.Confess when we get it wrong. There are going to be times, no matter who we are, because of our sin nature, that we are going to open our mouth before our brain kicks into gear. As difficult as it can be, even as justified as you may feel in how you respond, we must remember that the person we answer to and the person we are to glorify is God. Therefore, when we respond with harsh words or actions, we need to humble ourselves before God and the person and confess it and seek forgiveness.
3. Praise the Lord. Don’t forget to praise the Lord and thank Him for His kindness and goodness, especially when He defends you. Jesus tells a story in the Gospels of how He healed 10 lepers. Out of the 10, only one of them came back to worship Him. If I’m honest, I’m more like the other nine than I am that one. I often forget to thank God for His many blessings. Therefore, let’s try to be intentional about thanking God for His blessings. After all, He isn’t obligated to give them to us, He does it because of who He is, and His great love towards us.
How can you praise the Lord today? What blessings has He given you that maybe you, like me, have taken for granted? Take a few moments now, and just thank Him.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin