When You Are Wronged, Stay On God’s Side

With the recent events (fatal police shootings, protests and riots) going on in our nation, and even in my hometown of Tulsa, I’ve been pretty disheartened lately. I hurt for the mistreatment of human beings. It’s upsetting to see the blatant disrespect for authority. My heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones. I hurt for those who are making poor choices that will forever change their lives and the lives of their families. It’s discouraging to see those who are blinded by the devil’s lies.

I have felt my heart breaking for all sides. My spirit is heavy that there are even “sides” to begin with. Then, which “side” is right? Maybe both? Maybe neither? I’ve come to the conclusion that there is only ONE right side: God’s side. If we side with God, we will never go wrong.

I was very torn about whether or not I should even write about these current events for fear someone would believe that I’m taking sides. Quite frankly I don’t want to even begin to speculate who was right or who was wrong. From where I stand, I can probably find rights and wrongs on both sides. Nevertheless, I wasn’t there. I wasn’t personally involved. I don’t have all the facts. However, God WAS there. God DOES have all of the facts. We will never go wrong when we look to and lean on Him for guidance and answers. I know it sounds all flowery and pretty and is much easier said than done. Regardless of how difficult though, it’s the right thing to do. So I guess I AM taking a side. I’m taking God’s side.

Personal reflection

As I spent time reading my bible and listening to podcasts over the past week, parts of the story of David kept coming up here and there. I know enough by now to pay attention to repeated themes because more often than not, it’s God speaking to me or trying to get a message across to me. I prayed and asked God if He was trying to tell me something. Nothing came to mind at that moment. So I wrote a note in my journal: “David—repeated theme”.

I continued to spend a lot of time in prayer for and about the recent shootings, protests and riots. I’ve prayed for our leaders, for godly justice to be done, for the families, for wrong mindsets, and for the overall situation in general. Additionally, I even asked God, “How do we fix this? Where do we even start?” Then, I heard in my heart, “Look at David.” My next thought was “Ooooh…THAT’S why David keeps coming up!” After that I thought, “Wait a minute. David? What does David have to do with anything that’s going on in our country right now?”  The answer… David stayed on God’s side.

David stayed on God’s side and endured

He experienced discrimination early on in his life (1 Samuel 16:1-13). When Samuel went to anoint the next king, David was overlooked. He was disregarded based on his appearance, age and occupation. David didn’t “look” like king material. He was too young. He was just a mere shepherd. David was chosen as king anyway because he was on God’s side. God called him “a man after my own heart”. Because David stayed on God’s side (enduring during the discrimination and disrespect by those around him), he was elevated in position.

“But now your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” 1 Samuel 13:14 (NLT)

“But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’” Acts 13:22 (NLT)

David stayed on God’s side during unjust treatment

David was treated very unjustly while in Saul’s service. Saul was envious of David and persistently tried to attack him, chase him, and kill him. He was always having to watch his back. (See 1 Samuel 18:10-11, 1 Samuel 18:17-21, 1 Samuel 19:1, 1 Samuel 19:10-15, 1 Samuel 20:31)

David stayed on God’s side and didn’t take revenge when he had the opportunity

David never took revenge or justice into his own hands. He trusted that God would avenge him. David understood that God is a just God. He knew that God WOULD avenge him at some point, and that people WILL reap what they sow. Twice he had the opportunity to retaliate and kill Saul, but he didn’t (1 Samuel 24 & 26). He respected the position of authority that Saul held, even though Saul was in the wrong.

“… For the LORD placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the LORD’s anointed one.’  Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.” 1 Samuel 24:10-11 (NLT)

“May the LORD judge between us. Perhaps the LORD will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you… May the LORD therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!” 1 Samuel 24:12, 15 (NLT)

“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.” Romans 12:19 (NLT)

“Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.” Proverbs 20:22 (NIV) 

David stayed on God’s side by respecting authority

David realized that human authority was established by God and not respecting that would be siding against God. He chose to respect the authority that God had put into place. Eventually, God removed Saul from his position of authority and replaced him with David. David stayed on God’s side by making wise choices, honoring God and respecting authority, and God rewarded him for it.

“The LORD forbid that I should do this to my lord the king and attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him… For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the LORD’s anointed one.’” 1 Samuel 24:6, 10

“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.  So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.  For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you.  The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.  So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.” Romans 13:1-5 (NLT)

“For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.  Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.” 1 Peter 2:13-27 (NLT) 

David stayed on God’s side even when his own men didn’t

David didn’t even let those around him sway him or veer from God’s side. He stood up to his own men when they tried to convince him to kill Saul (1 Samuel 24 & 26). In their defense, they truly believed they were justified and that they were doing the right thing. However, David saw an act against Saul as an act against God since God was the one who ordained Saul’s authority.

“At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave! “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the LORD is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe. But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe.  “The LORD knows I shouldn’t have done that to my lord the king,” he said to his men. “The LORD forbid that I should do this to my lord the king and attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him.” So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.” 1 Samuel 24:3-7 (NLT)

Take Some Practical Steps To Stay On God’s Side When You Are Wronged:

• Have you been wronged, discriminated against, attacked or treated unjustly? Take it to the Lord and stay on God’s side. Don’t take your complaints to the wrong people. Take it to someone who can actually help, who can do the most good, and who always has YOUR best interest in mind.
• Don’t disrespect people in authority. God has ordained authority. You will not win if you side against God. Even if the whole world is against you, with God on your side you’ll never fail.
• Don’t take justice into your own hands. Let God avenge you. If you take God’s side and step out of His way, He will see that justice is served. He will even remove those who are in the wrong if you let Him handle it. When we take things into our own hands and don’t do things the RIGHT way—God’s way—it will backfire and hurt us instead. Then we have God AGAINST us instead of FOR us because He cannot side with sin.
• If you MUST take sides, take God’s side. His side is always the winning side anyway.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NIV)

• Pray! David was a praying man (read the book of Psalms).  Follow his lead.
• We must be careful not to label, blanket statement, or judge an entire group by the worst of that group. Don’t base one person’s integrity on the basis of somebody else’s actions. It’s not fair and it’s not right to judge and label a whole group by the worst of that group…be it law enforcement or a race…or any other group for that matter.

Final Thoughts

As a general rule, this is good advice for any situation when we feel like we have been wronged, discriminated against, attacked or treated unjustly. I’ve even had to learn these same steps when I’ve been in unfair situations in the workplace. I pray that you would take this advice to heart and remember it the next time you are wronged.

How have you stayed on God’s side? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

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If you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward!  Share this post via the sharing links below.  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)