A Daily Purpose

Bible Study & Devotional Day 71

Guiding Scripture: Psalm 55:1-23 

🔴  The Toy Wheel

Betrayal is challenging to navigate, especially when it’s a close friend. While it isn’t easier to deal with a stranger or enemy, at least the situation is explainable. Psalm 55 is the emotional place many of us have experienced. We feel trapped by hostile forces, and yet that doesn’t shake our trust. However, those who cried, talked, laughed, and loved with us make the burden of chaos unbearable.

If you feel attacked by the enemy as he uses your career, home, schedule, or loved ones against you, be still. Ask God to help you follow His will and not lean into your own understanding. 

Prayer and reflection will remind us that we are human no matter how ‘closely’ we walk with God. We all fall short. (Romans 3:23) We need our Lord to help us clarify and organize to solve issues of the heart with compassion.

Application

I have often used the analogy of the grocery cart to explain how our actions affect everyone. We can sit in the cart with the fake steering wheel and believe we have control. But standing right behind us is the person operating every turn, controlling the speed, and direction.

However, just like children grow up to realize all their car sounds and foot movements were in vain, they have two options:

1. Continue the fantasy and pretend they control everything. 
2. Be honest, so the enemy doesn’t trick them. 

Games are fun until they become disruptive. 

Take inventory of how you operate in reality. Ask God to open the eyes of your heart. We can all follow these simple steps:

• Observe the actions and reactions
• Prepare to improve communication. 
• Focus on the goal of growth.

When we’ve been hurt or betrayed, its hard to forgive, isn’t it? We may not talk to the person or avoid them altogether. We let others know of our hurt’s gravity and how ruthless and downright wrong the other person was. We will…if prompted, give all the details of what happened. Soon we are reliving the event repeatedly, not allowing any room for forgiveness, correction, reflection, or healing. 

But what if we follow the example of Psalm 55…

When someone does something that hurts or offends us, we first pray to God. Ask Him to help us see if we had any fault. We can petition God to soften our hearts and encourage us to forgive. 

How we react in real life has real consequences. The way we balance hurt, disappointment, rejection, deceit, false accusations is a testimony to how well we know ourselves and how mature in spirit we are. We have to know God. Meanwhile, think of the remarkable restraint, grace, kindness, and mercy, He shows us. As we grow in God, we learn to control selfish urges and pray to look at the whole picture.

Try talking to God! He is always available. Set up an appointment and make time to have tea with the Lord. If you’re not quite ready to take that step, that’s ok; find a trusted person, counselor, life coach to talk through your problems and get the help you need.

In Conclusion:

I used to end each episode of Our Given Purpose the Podcast with this reminder:

There’s purpose in our emotions. We choose how to react. Be humble and not arrogant. Be kind and not angry. Be modest and not prideful. Have faith and not fear. 

Choose to be the light God wants you to shine. 

This devotional was submitted and written by, Torrie Slaughter, the founder of Our Given Purpose® in the Commonwealth of Virginia.