25 AUG 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional
“O Lord, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent, those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long. Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips.” Psalm 140: 1-3
We officially enter the season of the presidential election this week in the United States. Candidates fill the airways with their vision for the next four years and how they will lead. They discuss current problems and bring to bear their strategies for fixing a problem or creating a better tomorrow. In the process, they expose to some level their own character.
It is good for us to look at a leader’s heart, character, and background to see what kind of person they are and not just the results they plan to deliver. Most promise more than they can actually do. It doesn’t take long in today’s political atmosphere for it to turn into a storm of verbal fighting. It can pour over into the rest of society as people find the leader they like and begin to imitate the leader they want to follow and sling the same mud.
As a follower of Christ, it is par for the course to be on the receiving end of confrontation. David experiences this as he looks to please the Lord as he leads a nation. People talk bad about him and curse him. People lie about what he has done or what he has said. He knows the pain that causes and how it can destroy another person with their words. David describes his enemies as snakes and their tongues are full of deadly venom. If you have ever had someone talk ill of you, you can understand.
David handles these attacks first and foremost in conversation with God. He doesn’t complain and gripe to other people, but he goes to God. We need to learn to go to the thrown before we go to the phone or social media. It is the Lord that gives us perspective on the realities of our time. He is the one who allows bad things to happen for his purposes. He is also the one who can deliver us or walk with us through the fire.
How do you deal with damaging words from others?
Reading Plan: Psalm 140, 142; 2 Sam. 19:24-43; Acts 24:24-25:12; Mark 12:35-44
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