This weekend we addressed the issue of injustice in our world by letting Psalm 10 be our guide.  We looked at how this Psalm can help us as both "observers" of injustice in our world, but also as "victims" of injustice.  We are all aware of ways we have been sinned against and treated wrongly by others; and in some cases, the wounds may run very deep.  It is possible that injustices committed against you, perhaps even years ago, continue to immobilize you today.  In Psalm 10 we see God's heart for those who have suffered at the hands of others.  He promises to help you, vindicate you, incline His ear toward you, and strengthen your heart.

 

We also looked at Psalm 10 through the beauty of the Gospel and saw that God's primary pathway for healing from the hurt caused us by others is through the avenue of forgiveness.  By God's design, our daily lives ought to be marked by a lifestyle of forgiveness toward others as we live in the fresh remembrance of all that God has forgiven us (Matthew 18:21-35, Colossians 3:12-13).  But in reality we often try to deal with hurts in our own way, especially if they were significant, or committed by the same person over an extended period of time.  Rather than address the hurt and move toward forgiveness, we may try to internalize the pain.  While putting on a good appearance toward others, we are being eaten up on the inside.  Or, we may try to suppress the pain by filling our lives with distractions or even taking on sinful activities in an attempt to cope.  Or, we may focus on the pain, fostering bitterness and anger toward the hurtful person, even fantasizing about the revenge we would like to take.  None of these get to the root of the problem, and can have broader ramifications such as a pervasive distrust toward others, distrust toward God, attempts to control circumstance, controlling people through manipulation, anxiety, depression and fear.

 

As we studied through this Psalm together, did you find yourself thinking about a hurtful person or situation in your past where you need to go back and work through this path of forgiveness?  As you begin to step forward in forgiveness, you can be assured that it is God's way to healing and wholeness.  Over the next few days we'll share some thoughts from God's work to help you along this journey...