Jan 28 2009
When Misunderstood or Falsely Accused
Have you ever been misunderstood or falsely accused? Of course you have. It happens to us all. But how should we respond?
Jesus is our example here. He was misunderstood from the day He was born. God’s Son was born to a virgin, which made His birth appear less than honorable. And things didn’t get better with time. He repeatedly ran up against those who misjudged Him and His motives. So how did Jesus handle the situation?
He gave it to His Father, forgave His accusers, and took back His peace, knowing God would work things out for His good.
Unlike Jesus, you and I are mere humans, so on occasion we will cause our own problems in this area. Because that’s true, we do well to examine ourselves to see if our accusers’ words have any merit. If they do we can go make it right. If not, we need to choose to respond with grace and soft words, lest we make enemies and burn our bridges behind us.
When we are misjudged or falsely accused we can expect to feel sad and hurt, but when we give those feelings to God He comes to us to comfort us by the power of His Holy Spirit, wrapping His arms around us and reassuring us that we have His undivided attention and His tender compassion.
Scripture says Jesus had feelings just like ours, and that, too, should comfort us. He comes when we call, and delights to minister to our needs.
Psalm 103 says this: Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits, who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion, who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on His children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.
When we are misunderstood or falsely accused we can trust God to battle for us instead of letting it destroy us or tear us down. What an amazing God we serve!
Because of His great love,
Nancy
