FROM THE EDITOR
Terry C. Muck
January 1, 1987
The pastor of a small church in southern Indiana was telling me about his year-old ministry. Amid his upbeat comments about his church's building program and the growth of the congregation, he spoke about his burr in the saddle. Let's call him Bill.
"Bill doesn't like me. As far as I can tell, there's no reason. We just don't hit it off. So he often manufactures situations to make me look bad. At our last board meeting, for example, he asked the board to discipline me because I hadn't been turning in written monthly reports. It caught me cold.
"Fortunately, one of the elders spoke up: 'Bill, how can we discipline Pastor for that, when we've never asked him to turn in written monthly reports?' "
Unfortunately, not all attacks are so easily blunted. Some persecutors want our jobs, threaten our reputations with slander, or torpedo the neighborhood outreach program we've spent six months setting up.
How do we handle the feelings unfair persecution creates? Self-righteousness and revenge raise their sinful heads whenever we're attacked without provocation.
Psalm 69 is usually read as a messianic psalm. Rightly so. In describing a difficult personal struggle, David suggests many images that aptly apply to the sufferings our Lord was to face. Yet Psalm 69 also tells the story of David's reaction to unfair persecution.
He finds himself sunk in the mire with no foothold, worn out calling for help. His enemies hate him without cause. The only reason he can cite is his zeal for the Lord's house.
Yet despite being unfairly accused, by the end of the psalm, David, his troubles notwithstanding, is asking all heaven and earth to praise God.
By observing what he does, we can gain some insights into our own situations. To be sure, we don't face ...
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