I am sure you have experienced opposition at some point in your journey from others. Either a boss, or coworker, or a friend (or someone you thought was your friend), a family member or sometimes it just seems like the whole world is against you.
What do you do?
Well, you could just get angry and flick everybody off and say, “who needs em?”, but that really doesn’t help because that just leads to more pain in you. Bitterness develops and that is a hard root to pull up entirely.
So, what do you do?
I was reading this morning in Psalm 109. The Biblical patriarch, King David, was one who experienced more than his share of opposition. In fact, when I consider the opposition he faced to my own circumstances, I am usually encouraged a bit. 🙂
David said that deceitful mouths were opened against him. Ever feel like people are telling lies about you? David said people were speaking against him. Ever feel like people are talking about you and what they are saying is not good? David said people were surrounding him with words of hate. Ever feel like people are hatin on you? David said people were attacking him without cause. Ever feel like you wondered what it was you did? David said that people were accusing him even though all he did was love them. Ever feel like you can’t ever do enough good for folks?
What are you to do? What did David do?
David prayed! He said, “I give myself to prayer”
In other words, David looked to the Lord. Jesus did the same thing. They both model for us how we should handle opposition. Look to the Lord, cry out to the one who judges righteously.
Pray David’s prayer: “But you, O God, my Lord, deal on my behalf, for your name’s sake, because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!…help me O Lord, my God, save me according to your steadfast love!”
David then praised the Lord! “with my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord, I will praise him in the midst of the throng” We too must be careful to praise the Lord and give not just thanks, but GREAT thanks! After all, its for His name’s sake!!
Hard to do I know and hard to conceive how this helps us deal with opposition, but we must believe the Lord see’s, hear’s, and will act in righteous judgement on our behalf, not out of pride for ourselves, but for HIS NAME’S SAKE!!
blessings,
mk
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