O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me. They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason. I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations even as I am praying for them! They repay evil for good, and hatred for love. Psalm 109: 1-5 NLT
What do you do when those you try to love do nothing but continue to hurt you?
What do you do when those you are praying for continue to try to destroy you?
What do you do when those for whom you do good things only repay you with evil?
Do you, can you stand by and do nothing? More importantly, can God just stand by and do nothing? Surely God wants justice for you. Surely God wants to stand up and fight for you. Where is God when you are unjustly accused, and accused by those for whom you tried to do good and loving things?
For some reason this psalm reminds me of discussions I have had with parents of addicts. What is the loving thing to do with your child? Do you continue to bail them out or let them fall? If they are living on the streets, do you take them in or have them fend for themselves? When you provide them with clothes, food and shelter, they have a tendency to steal stuff for money. They seem to have no love for you, even when you continue to pray. And where is God in all of this? Is God just standing by, watching but doing nothing?
I don’t have the answers, only the questions.
O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me. Help me to know what to do and how to handle rejection, especially those whom I love who have addictions. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Copyright Amelia G. Sims 2012
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