Betrayed by a Friend

Ps 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you:He will never permit the righteous to be moved.

David is deeply grieved and afraid because his enemy had become someone he trusted, someone who was close to him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng. How devastated David was! How devastating for anyone to be betrayed by someone close, a companion and confidante, a spiritual brother, someone who had shared the intimacies of the Spirit! What pain! What betrayal! Yet this is a fairly common occurrence. So the question is what to do? How should a situation like this be handled? Withdrawal? Revenge?  No those are the responses of the flesh, the wounded flesh, but David's actions and words demonstrate the responses of the Spirit. First, he went immediately and continually to God.  Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and He hears my voice.  Instead of dwelling in the land of depression, regret, and self-pity, David poured out his soul, all the hurt, the agony, and the moaning. He knew that God would redeem him and protect him from those who were out for him because his enemy did not honor or fear God. In fact his enemy was the enemy of God.

David could see clearly now the tactics of his betrayer. He had broken his covenant, his word. What he had said was not in sync with what he had done. His speech was smooth as butter (saying anything to accomplish his plan), but in his heart was war. This man was duplicitous. In essence his words were softer than oil, but in truth they were drawn swords. Even when David realized all these things, he was helpless to change the situation. His only recourse was to go to God. And that is what he did! Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved...But I will trust in You. What great resolve! No matter how devastating the situation or relationship, trust in Him. God is not surprised by any enemy. He knows full well their methods and  motives. No man, enemies included, does anything apart from the sovereign plan and purpose of God. Who better to trust than the One who has set it all in motion? Like David, I must trust in Him for whatever comes into my life.

Father,
Build my trust. Help me see Your sovereign hand in every detail of my life, the good and the bad.
In Jesus name,
Amen