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21 O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you? 22 Yes, I hate them with total hatred, for your enemies are my enemies.
– Psalm 139:21, 22 (NLT)
As we can see, David is still quite upset with those people who mean him no good. So upset that he actually would say that he hates them. In our angry language, “hates their guts!” If you’ve read the story of David’s life, you would remember that after he had done so much good to ensure certain victory for Saul, Saul himself tried to kill him. And as if that were not enough, he sent his men after David to torment him. David was constantly on the run from Saul and his mighty men.
Have you ever had someone torment you so much that you really wanted to hide from them? And when they rang your doorbell, you wanted to pretend as if you were not at home? Have you ever felt as if you really hated someone?
We’re sure that most of us can relate to this unhealthy feeling on some level.
Although you may feel a total dislike for someone, we want you to remember, once again, that God has commanded all of us to love one another – even those who have done wrong to us (ridiculously hard, we know). We believe that the only way you can learn to love those who are not nice to you is to decide to walk in true obedience to God’s Word and daily ask for His help. You can’t accomplish this great feat alone. It’s hard enough to love those who love us: we definitely need help to love those who are not always nice.
Again, we say that you must be wise and set up appropriate boundaries so that you can live healthy lives. But, you must leave payback to God – for Him to give justice as He sees fit – in His time and in His way. Most of the time, there is that feeling that God takes too long. We all must learn to trust that He knows what He’s doing.
Think About It
Have your friends ever hurt you? How did that make you feel?
Has someone hurt you that you knew didn’t have your best interest at heart?
Do you tend to take matters into your own hands, or do you seek God and wise counsel?
What wise decisions can you make today?
Praying for You
(Please personalize)
O Lord, teach our young people to hate the things that You hate: things like poor attitudes and behaviors, prideful hearts, disrespect, ingratitude, and so on. Help their hearts to be grieved when they see themselves or others walking in disobedience to Your Word. Teach our students to cling only to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
19 O God, if only you would destroy the wicked! Get out of my life, you murderers! 20 They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name.
– Psalm 139:19, 20 (NLT)
From the scriptures above, we can imagine that David is quite upset with his enemies and wants God to give them what he thinks they deserve. Can any of you relate to his mindset?
We want to remind you right away that God has commanded all of us to love one another – even those who have done wrong to us (extremely hard, we know). We don’t mean that you should be unwise and not set up appropriate boundaries, as you cannot live healthy lives without proper limits, but we are not to revenge others for their misdeeds to us. For example, maybe you should not decide that you need to “beat them up!”
God said for us to leave payback to Him. And God is not like man. He knows how to administer discipline, rebuke, and punishment adequately. But, He also knows better than we do when to show compassion and give grace.
You see, God knows us all intimately. He knows our deepest hurts, our thoughts, our inadequacies, our motives…, and He also knows that about our “enemies.” You have to learn to trust God to handle the difficult people in your lives. You must look to Him for guidance and direction as to the appropriate steps to take in relating to them.
Think About It
Can you relate to David’s sentiments with someone in your life right now?
What exactly are you feeling at this moment?
Have you taken the time to talk truthfully to God in prayer about what you are sensing?
Have you sought wise counsel from your parents, a pastor, a Christian counselor or a godly friend?
Have you considered what boundaries you need to set up at this time in your particular circumstance?
Praying for You
(Please personalize)
Father, sometimes these wonderful young people can have bad thoughts against those who have hurt them. There are also those who may say evil things about our young people and use their names thoughtlessly. It is especially at these times, O Lord, when we ask that You place a hedge of protection around each student and comfort each child in Your Mighty arms – letting them know that You will repay on their behalf – in Your own time and in Your own way. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Something to Remember this year: God Knows the Whole Enchilada!
Believing God (by Beth Moore)
God is who he says he is
I am who he says i am
he can do what he says he can do
i can do all things through christ
God’s word is alive and active in me
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