Trust Your Defense to God
By Rick Warren

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5 (NIV)

How do you handle rude people? You don’t. Let God handle them. Let him be your defender.

You’ve probably noticed that civilization is losing its civility. The world is getting ruder! The Internet plays a part in this. It allows people to hide behind the screen and say things online they would never say to others face-to-face.

People who do this reveal the smallness of their hearts. Small people belittle others, thinking it will make them feel better.

But great people make other people feel great. King David was a pro at this. He knew what it meant to be attacked emotionally, verbally, and physically. As a young man, he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but David spent two years running from his predecessor, King Saul, who wanted to kill him. He hid in caves while being criticized constantly behind his back.

Yet David never said a bad word against Saul; he never retaliated. God was preparing David to be a king after his own heart.

David says in Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (NIV).

David recognized God’s goodness to him. God anointed his head with oil, which says to the world, “This is my guy! Back off! He is going to be the next leader.” David’s cup overflowed, which meant God kept blessing him, even when others attacked him.

Does it sound like David was stressed out? No! He didn’t have to use up all his energy defending himself because he trusted God to be his defender.

It takes a lot of faith and humility to rest and trust God when you’re under attack, when you’re misunderstood, and when rumors are spreading about you. When that happens, it’s tempting to want to do something about it.

But you are most like Christ when you remain silent under attack. Jesus was constantly attacked, yet he never retaliated—even on his way to the cross. He remained silent before his accusers because he had entrusted himself to the care of the Father.

The Bible says, “If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT).

God won’t let you down. Trust him to be your defender today.

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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