ALL THAT MATTERS

“How could they say that about me? How dare they?” There is little worse than being misunderstood and misrepresented. When we sense that our actions, and even our motives, are misinterpreted, we feel outraged and vulnerable. The instinctive response is to defend ourselves against attack and ensure that everyone knows the truth. Insinuation and lies cling like parasites.

Words of outrage and pleading tumble from the mouth of the psalmist. He goes straight to the point: he is innocent of the accusations which assault him and he wants God to vindicate him. Out pour all the justifications which perhaps have been going round and round in his head. At first sight, it may look as though he is declaring himself faultless, but that would be a misreading. He recognizes that God is the only one who knows all the facts and, furthermore, who sees his heart, so he asks for the Almighty to examine him, as gold is tested in the fire to reveal its genuineness. And he pleads for mercy.

The psalmist has had many enemies. His words and actions have been misconstrued and twisted. Yet as he looks over his life, more than anything he longs for God’s favor. He reminds God of his zeal for the Temple. His love for Jerusalem and for the Judeans comes from a deeper devotion to God himself. He approaches God with an honest and open heart, and knows that he is dependent upon God’s enabling and grace. And so it is that in the sacred place, we can come with our passionate protests. In God’s presence, we can seek his searching gaze, his smile, his mercy, because at the end of the day, that is all that matters.

Have you ever been falsely accused? If so, how did you handle it?