Our Worst Enemies | Confidence in Christ

If an enemy were insulting me,
I could endure it;
if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide,
But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend.
(Psalm 55:12-13)

We rarely give our enemies enough opportunity to really hurt us. They can insult us, stand in our ways, and even inflict pain, but we always have our guard up. But with our loved ones we let them through the most vulnerable places of our lives. And too often, those we let near in love has the most power to hurt us.

My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.
His talk is smooth as butter,
yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.
(Psalm 55:20-21)

Have you been hurt by the ones you love most? When we have, we can retreat for a season — to process, to recover, to repair, and to prepare to forgive. God has given us a safe place to hide and find the strength and hope we need to press on in love. You may feel far more alone than you really are. But Psalm 55:16-19 call you out of loneliness and despair into hope again.

But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
He redeems my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.
God will give ear and humble them,
he who is enthroned from of old,
because they do not change
and do not fear God.
(Psalm 55:16-19)

As difficult as it might be to run into the arms of God when we’ve been hurt, it may be even more difficult to surrender our desire for vengeance — our innate longing to make the one who hurt us feel something of the pain we felt. The same love that holds and heals us in our pain also frees us from having to administer justice. God, in unparalleled love, not only promises never to leave or betray us, but he also promises to punish every sin committed. Have your confidence in the Lord and wait for Him to act and remember that the Lord intimately knows your pain. Jesus was not only betrayed to death by one of His twelve closest friends, He was also denied three times by one of the best — and then abandoned by the rest.

In the same way, our confidence must be firmly rooted in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our confidence should not be based on what we could do for God in our own strength, but what God is infinitely capable of doing in us and through us.

Instead of going after those who hurt us, we focus to went harder after God.

Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.
But you, O God, will cast them down
into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery
shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.
(Psalm 55:22-23)

“But I will trust in you.” Those six words are strong enough to carry you over the massive waves of pain, loneliness and despair. Resist the impulse to take things into your own hands (or words), and rest your heart, the relationship, and the future in His capable hands. You can trust Jesus.

Inspired by Psalm 55 • Desiring GOD