Psalms 119:78-80

Well, had a huge disappointment tonight.   Won’t get too deep into it, but I had interviewed with my church for the position of youth pastor.   They chose someone else.   There it is.   I’m greatly conflicted about it right now, but life goes on and we move forward.  The guy that got the job is a great guy and will do good, however it’s a bit of a kick in the…..gut.  Not sure what’s next for me.  I purposely didn’t have a plan B, there’s more to this, but, it is what it is and God has a plan.   I HAVE to believe that HE has something better planned for me, but still.   Anyway, that’s enough drama, let’s get on to Psalm 119:78-80.

⁷⁸ Let the proud be ashamed,
         For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood;
         But I will meditate on Your precepts.   David has experience with being lied about and treated wrongly, but his reaction is one of integrity.   He says “I will meditate on YOUR precepts”   Basically, he’s going to focus on God through whatever trash people are throwing at him.  
 ⁷⁹ Let those who fear You turn to me,
         Those who know Your testimonies.     Another sign of a life of integrity is, are people drawn to you.   I believe this is important.   How you respond to verse 78, leads to verse 79.   Those that fear God will be drawn to you according to how I/you respond to strife and conflict.   If our response is one of passive aggressive “pity me” or one of anger and spite, then that’s a reflection of my walk with Christ.   I haven’t “bought into” the belief that God has something for me that’s better.   It’s a reflection of a lack of integrity on my part.   If, however, my reaction to conflict is that I draw close to God, then God will reward that by allowing me leadership opportunities.  People are drawn to those who handle strife and conflict in as positive a manner as possible, however, they’re repelled by those that cause drama.
 ⁸⁰ Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes,
         That I may not be ashamed.    A blameless heart, man, isn’t that everyone’s desire.   To be able to say that I/you followed God’s word in a conflict situation and were blameless.   It’s interesting, my church just walked through the book “Bait of Satan” by John Bevere about what to do when Offended.   These last three verses are a direct corollary to that book.   While I wasn’t too impressed with the book overall, the basic premise is sound and the intent is true.   Offense causes a wall in relationships with others and more importantly between self and God.   To be blameless is to be at peace in our relationships.   Some relationships have to end, but we have a choice in how the ending ends.