Ouch! That Hurts!

A parent abuses a child.

A close friend spreads rumors.

A husband is unfaithful to his wife.

A parent gets left in a nursing home.

We've all been on the receiving end of some hurtful events. We live in a sin-cursed world surrounded by sinful people. Pain is inevitable. Pain from close friends and family seems to be worst.

One typical response is revenge, paying back the other for the pain they have caused. Another is withdrawal, cutting the person out of our lives so that they can do no further damage. Perhaps another is to turn others against the offender, digging up trash and spreading it out for all to see.

But how should a godly person respond?

David had the same thing happen to him. His closest friend turned against him and became his greatest enemy and he records his response in Psalm 55.

David does not deny the pain that the betrayal has caused. He's not just ignoring it. It surrounds him. It fills his mind day and night. And it appears to be visible torment as his enemy is surrounding the city and tormenting the people of the city, too. Not only has the enemy attacked David, but attacking those whom he loves (vs 1-11).

David's response is to call on the LORD and trust Him for deliverance. David calls to God with the confidence that He hears and will deliver. He is confident that God will humble the enemy, because of his rebellious heart (vs 16-19).

David casts his burden on the LORD and trusts God to cast his enemies into the pit of destruction (vs 22-23).

What we don't see are the typical responses. David is not seeking for a way to take revenge. He's not withdrawing from the enemy. And he doesn't dig up the bad things that the other has done, displaying them for all to see.

Instead, He calls on God to deal with the enemy.

That's what we need to do with the pain in our lives. Shutting off and shutting down are not an option. Withdrawing from the person and building barriers are not an option. Gossip and slander are not an option.

The godly response to the offender is to lay it all before the LORD and let Him deal with it.

Which really makes the most sense anyway. God is the only one who has a true perspective on what happened. He is the only one who knows your heart and the heart of the offender. And He is the only one who can do anything to change either.

So rather than fretting about what you can do to get even, get on your knees and let God take care of it.