“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”Psalm 23:5 (NIV)
Our civilization is losing its civility. The world is getting ruder!
The internet plays a part in this because it allows people to hide behind screens and say things online that they would never say to others face-to-face. People who do this reveal the smallness of their hearts. Great people make people feel great, but small people put others down—thinking it’ll make themselves feel better.
How do you handle rude people? You don’t. You let God handle them. You let God be your defender.
King David was a pro at this. He knew what it meant to be attacked emotionally, verbally, and physically. As a young man, he was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but David spent two years being chased by and running from his predecessor, King Saul, who wanted to kill him. He hid in caves while being criticized constantly behind his back.
Yet David never said a bad word against the king or retaliated. God was preparing David to be a king after his own heart.
David says in Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (NIV).
David recognized God’s goodness to him. When God anointed his head with oil, it was like God was saying to the world, “This is my guy! Back off! He is going to be the next leader.” David’s cup overflowed, which meant God kept blessing him and blessing him, even when others attacked him.
Does it sound like David was stressed out? No! He didn’t have to use up all his energy defending himself because he trusted God to be his defender.
It takes a lot of faith and humility to rest and trust God when you’re under attack, when you’re misunderstood, when rumors are spreading about you, or when people are saying untrue things about you, online or in person. When that happens, everything in you wants to rise up and do something about it.
But you are most like Christ when you remain silent under attack. Jesus was constantly attacked, yet he never retaliated, even on his way to the cross. He remained silent before his accusers because he had entrusted himself to the care of the Father.
“If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT).
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