The Lord is My Defender

Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Psalm 37:1-3

Being young and in the ministry, I find myself wanting to prove that I can do it, that somehow I am qualified to do the work. But without fail, one of the constant battles I find myself in is that people are questioning me or seeking my harm through words. In the past I have felt the need to speak up and defend myself, as if I have to prove to them that their perceptions of me are wrong. But lately I have been struck by this realization, when others seek my harm or have ill feelings towards me, only God can be my defender.

If we spend all of our time trying to prove the naysayers wrong, we will inevitably fail. We become self-fulfilling prophets because of our paranoia. We think, "that person is wicked and evil so they will never understand what I am trying to accomplish." And they won't as long as we try to convince them otherwise. Rather than trying to defend myself, I have found Psalm 37:3 to be the best advice.

"Trust in the Lord and do good." Or as Paul tells Timothy in I Timothy 4:12, "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe." The Lord is my defender. Instead of being concerned with the stinging comments and harsh rebukes of those who are seeking my downfall, I should be focused on trusting in the goodness of God and living a Godly life. God will deal with those who oppose me unjustly. God is not concerned about whether I can defend myself, but rather about how will I respond in the face of opposition. Does my anger control me or does His love? Must I justify my actions or am I willing to lay down my desires for theirs?

When it comes to His church, I can get very worked up about the people involved. But I need to maintain a new posture. Whereas I have been telling people what they need to do to dwell properly in the land, I need to set an example of what it means to dwell in the land. I need to be an example of one who cultivates faithfulness. The Lord is my Defender.