Finally! Someone Understands What a Trouble Maker He/She is!
By Barbara Henderson
Have you ever been in a situation where you were totally misunderstood and even blamed for something that definitely was not your fault? It feels dreadful to be blamed for a bad situation when you are really the victim instead of the perpetrator doesn’t it? The situation can be made even worse when the person who is really responsible for the problems is seen as a problem solver and helper. Such behavior in another person is difficult to even grasp, much less explain to other people. This sort of subtlety is only managed with the help of the devil.
These subtle evil people never show their wicked side to everyone. They just sow seeds of discord, manipulate without even seeming to be involved at all, and above all else, they keep their true nature secret from almost everyone. They thrive on choosing one person and making that person appear to be a villainous trouble maker who deserves to be shut out of the family, the work place, social functions, and anything else that is important to them. If you have not found yourself facing such a foe, you most likely will in the future. If you have such a person in your life, then you already know what I am talking about.
A human reaction in dealing with people like that is to just want someone to understand what is going on, yet you only look like a villain when trying to explain it. Just by gaining an ally you have pretty much defeated the person who is causing you all the problems. Well, I have good news for you. You have someone who really does know the true situation.
Psalm 139 tells us that God knows. We are always hearing that God is with us all the time. But He is more than just with us. God is actually paying attention to what is going on in your life. He knows when people mistreat you. If you are in a situation where you are being made to look like a trouble maker, but are really innocent, then God knows the truth of the matter.
Verse one says, ‘O LORD, thou hast searched and me known me.’ The Lord knows your efforts. He really knows. Someone does know and understand you!’
The next verses tell us that God understands our thoughts. If the heart and soul of the individual is truly seeking peace with others, then God knows it. Thoughts and intentions are not hidden from Him. God knows our thoughts when we are waking or sleeping. God knows every single thought.
In verse six the writer seems to be overwhelmed with the knowledge that God is so close and so involved in his life. The good news is that God has not changed. He is the same today as he was when this Psalm was written. He is with us and He KNOWS what is going on in our lives. What a relief that is. This is the time we realize how wonderful it is that Christians have a personal God. He is not a God who is subject to our whims, but He us a God who cares for us personally.
Joy is in the heart that understands that God is not only present, but that He is interested in what is going on. There is no where anyone has been that God was not with them. There is no where anyone can go that God will not be with them. We have an ally.
Now, in the situation we have been talking about, the person is not guilty of anything, but has been made to appear as the one who is making trouble. There is a very familiar Bible story about this very thing. Eve, the mother of all living, was walking in the garden one day. At that point she was without sin and living in perfection. Suddenly, out of nowhere, came the serpent to tempt her. The serpent, in typical subtle serpent fashion, made himself out to be the good guy and made God out to be the bad guy. Eve fell for it! Hook, line, and sinker! She let the devil convince her that God was wrong to keep the forbidden fruit from her, and she ate the fruit. The serpent/devil/Satan/ is still doing the same thing today. When he does evil things, he manages to put the blame on God. God is totally innocent of any evil doing, but who do people blame when something bad happens? They cry, ‘Oh God! Why did you let this happen to me?’ Well, God didn’t do anything except to make a way for individual sinners to be reconciled to God and His perfection. Yet, who gets the blame? Often, God gets the blame. So, not only does God understand what is going on in your life, He has experienced it Himself!
In this Psalm, the writer eventually cries out for God to slay the wicked. I don’t know that that was an appropriate request, but it is probably exactly how he felt at the moment. That may be how we sometimes feel when we have been accused of things we haven’t even thought about doing, much less done. However, I do think it is appropriate to simply turn the person giving you a hard time over to God. Let God bring their evil actions to an end however He chooses. Spend your time enjoying God’s presence.
To understand that God knows what is going on in your life is wonderful. He knows everything you do that is right and good. He knows your motives. He knows your heart. In Him, you really do have someone who totally understands exactly what is going on, and He understands your heart break when you feel like you have been run over by a truck driven by the people who should be taking your side. Turn your thoughts away from your hurt and look into the words and teachings of the Bible for comfort. God will defend you and help you.
Of course, there is a potential down side to all this. That down side is that God knows your thoughts, your motives, and what is in the deepest depth of your heart. That means that just in case you are not 100% innocent in this case, God knows it. Chances are that you really are innocent of being the trouble maker. You probably really are the one who is for peace, and your human adversary is the one who is for ‘war’. However, God knows the rest of the story. He knows the areas of your life that need improvement.
People may turn away from the comfort and advocacy of God in the areas where they are innocent because they don’t want to deal with unrelated areas where they may not be so innocent. A good idea is to turn the troubling person and situation over to God and let Him deal with it. Be like Mary when she took the problem of no wine to Jesus. (John 2) She told the people, ‘Whatsoever he says, do it’. Whatever God leads you to do in any situation you have turned over to Him, do it as fast and as carefully as you can. In the mean time, just deal with the rest of your life. Get rid of sins God points out to you. Enjoy the good things God has given to you and done for you.
And be prepared to be led to do one more thing. That is to obey Matthew 5:44 which says, ‘But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;’. It goes without saying that the viper who has been giving you a hard time does not deserve to be loved, forgiven, or prayed for. It also goes without saying that neither did we deserve to be sought out, loved, forgiven, and saved by Jesus. God will enable you to forgive the unforgivable. It will be much easier once you realize that what an advocate you have in God yourself. Just keep on reminding yourself that God knows every single good thought and effort you made in resolving the difficult situation.
One more thought is this. One good thing that can come from dealing with one of those subtle people who somehow manages to appear good and helpful while only doing evil and wrong is that you may come to realize that the arm of flesh will fail you. When you are up against someone like that, there is nothing you can do to make the situation better. It requires the hand of God to deliver you. Even if you could get another person to understand what is going on, they still couldn’t help you solve the problem. The good news is that not only does God fully know and understand exactly what is happening, He is willing and able to help you.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg4emf9xc2c
Barbara Henderson
http://tobarbara.blogspot.com
By Barbara Henderson
Have you ever been in a situation where you were totally misunderstood and even blamed for something that definitely was not your fault? It feels dreadful to be blamed for a bad situation when you are really the victim instead of the perpetrator doesn’t it? The situation can be made even worse when the person who is really responsible for the problems is seen as a problem solver and helper. Such behavior in another person is difficult to even grasp, much less explain to other people. This sort of subtlety is only managed with the help of the devil.
These subtle evil people never show their wicked side to everyone. They just sow seeds of discord, manipulate without even seeming to be involved at all, and above all else, they keep their true nature secret from almost everyone. They thrive on choosing one person and making that person appear to be a villainous trouble maker who deserves to be shut out of the family, the work place, social functions, and anything else that is important to them. If you have not found yourself facing such a foe, you most likely will in the future. If you have such a person in your life, then you already know what I am talking about.
A human reaction in dealing with people like that is to just want someone to understand what is going on, yet you only look like a villain when trying to explain it. Just by gaining an ally you have pretty much defeated the person who is causing you all the problems. Well, I have good news for you. You have someone who really does know the true situation.
Psalm 139 tells us that God knows. We are always hearing that God is with us all the time. But He is more than just with us. God is actually paying attention to what is going on in your life. He knows when people mistreat you. If you are in a situation where you are being made to look like a trouble maker, but are really innocent, then God knows the truth of the matter.
Verse one says, ‘O LORD, thou hast searched and me known me.’ The Lord knows your efforts. He really knows. Someone does know and understand you!’
The next verses tell us that God understands our thoughts. If the heart and soul of the individual is truly seeking peace with others, then God knows it. Thoughts and intentions are not hidden from Him. God knows our thoughts when we are waking or sleeping. God knows every single thought.
In verse six the writer seems to be overwhelmed with the knowledge that God is so close and so involved in his life. The good news is that God has not changed. He is the same today as he was when this Psalm was written. He is with us and He KNOWS what is going on in our lives. What a relief that is. This is the time we realize how wonderful it is that Christians have a personal God. He is not a God who is subject to our whims, but He us a God who cares for us personally.
Joy is in the heart that understands that God is not only present, but that He is interested in what is going on. There is no where anyone has been that God was not with them. There is no where anyone can go that God will not be with them. We have an ally.
Now, in the situation we have been talking about, the person is not guilty of anything, but has been made to appear as the one who is making trouble. There is a very familiar Bible story about this very thing. Eve, the mother of all living, was walking in the garden one day. At that point she was without sin and living in perfection. Suddenly, out of nowhere, came the serpent to tempt her. The serpent, in typical subtle serpent fashion, made himself out to be the good guy and made God out to be the bad guy. Eve fell for it! Hook, line, and sinker! She let the devil convince her that God was wrong to keep the forbidden fruit from her, and she ate the fruit. The serpent/devil/Satan/ is still doing the same thing today. When he does evil things, he manages to put the blame on God. God is totally innocent of any evil doing, but who do people blame when something bad happens? They cry, ‘Oh God! Why did you let this happen to me?’ Well, God didn’t do anything except to make a way for individual sinners to be reconciled to God and His perfection. Yet, who gets the blame? Often, God gets the blame. So, not only does God understand what is going on in your life, He has experienced it Himself!
In this Psalm, the writer eventually cries out for God to slay the wicked. I don’t know that that was an appropriate request, but it is probably exactly how he felt at the moment. That may be how we sometimes feel when we have been accused of things we haven’t even thought about doing, much less done. However, I do think it is appropriate to simply turn the person giving you a hard time over to God. Let God bring their evil actions to an end however He chooses. Spend your time enjoying God’s presence.
To understand that God knows what is going on in your life is wonderful. He knows everything you do that is right and good. He knows your motives. He knows your heart. In Him, you really do have someone who totally understands exactly what is going on, and He understands your heart break when you feel like you have been run over by a truck driven by the people who should be taking your side. Turn your thoughts away from your hurt and look into the words and teachings of the Bible for comfort. God will defend you and help you.
Of course, there is a potential down side to all this. That down side is that God knows your thoughts, your motives, and what is in the deepest depth of your heart. That means that just in case you are not 100% innocent in this case, God knows it. Chances are that you really are innocent of being the trouble maker. You probably really are the one who is for peace, and your human adversary is the one who is for ‘war’. However, God knows the rest of the story. He knows the areas of your life that need improvement.
People may turn away from the comfort and advocacy of God in the areas where they are innocent because they don’t want to deal with unrelated areas where they may not be so innocent. A good idea is to turn the troubling person and situation over to God and let Him deal with it. Be like Mary when she took the problem of no wine to Jesus. (John 2) She told the people, ‘Whatsoever he says, do it’. Whatever God leads you to do in any situation you have turned over to Him, do it as fast and as carefully as you can. In the mean time, just deal with the rest of your life. Get rid of sins God points out to you. Enjoy the good things God has given to you and done for you.
And be prepared to be led to do one more thing. That is to obey Matthew 5:44 which says, ‘But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;’. It goes without saying that the viper who has been giving you a hard time does not deserve to be loved, forgiven, or prayed for. It also goes without saying that neither did we deserve to be sought out, loved, forgiven, and saved by Jesus. God will enable you to forgive the unforgivable. It will be much easier once you realize that what an advocate you have in God yourself. Just keep on reminding yourself that God knows every single good thought and effort you made in resolving the difficult situation.
One more thought is this. One good thing that can come from dealing with one of those subtle people who somehow manages to appear good and helpful while only doing evil and wrong is that you may come to realize that the arm of flesh will fail you. When you are up against someone like that, there is nothing you can do to make the situation better. It requires the hand of God to deliver you. Even if you could get another person to understand what is going on, they still couldn’t help you solve the problem. The good news is that not only does God fully know and understand exactly what is happening, He is willing and able to help you.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg4emf9xc2c
Barbara Henderson
http://tobarbara.blogspot.com
