"Consider, Lord, how your servants are disgraced. I carry in my heart the insults of so many people." (Psalms 89:5 NLT)
Have you ever noticed how a snarky remark can live in your brain for years? My husband tells a story of an insult he received from an upper classmen while he was in the fourth grade! Nasty words have significant staying power.
Ethan the Ezrahite (the author of Psalm 89) had been insulted somewhere along the way and it stuck with him. We don’t know a lot about Ethan, but scholars think he may have been involved in the moving of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. After the first failed attempt, I’d imagine the second endeavor came under scrutiny. It’s far easier to criticize than coordinate. We are more likely to pontificate than participate.
Unforgotten insults are quite destructive, aren’t they? From snide comments to ugly conflict, offense has a way of seeping into our soul and wounding us deeply. Ethan was still dealing with the emotional fallout of an unreceived ministry and his words put us on alert.
We need God to give us the gift of forget. We’ve got to learn to let the passive aggressive comments and painful interactions fall of us. This is unnatural and thus it requires effort. Quite the opposite: it’s our nature to nurse our injuries, chewing on them as a house pet gnaws at a stitch. The more we work the area, the more prone we are to infection.
Instead, we must practice what we preach. We begin by asking the Holy Spirit to aid in the forgiveness process. We acknowledge our wound and survey the extent of the damage. We put the offense under the blood. We vocalize our forgiveness and we practice until we are perfected. We keep on forgiving until we are freed up to speak blessing.
As leaders in the faith, we must learn to forgive like Jesus. Forgiveness is essential to the gospel. How can we receive it and not also offer it? Mature believers must be willing to walk in reconciliation.
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32 NIV)
Godly people don’t hold grudges. We give our insulters over to the Father in grace. We trust His love enough to cover all sin, not just our own sin.
Lord, please give us the gift of forget. Walk us through this process of forgiveness and grace. Move us to a place of blessing. Let offenses fall off as we learn to take You at Your word. Let us love freely and fully as exampled by You. Amen.