Wrongly Accused

WRONGLY ACCUSED

a prayer to open

Here’s my heart, Lord. Speak what is true.

Here’s my life, Lord. Speak what is true.

I come to you for protection, O LORD my God.

Save me from my persecutors—rescue me! . . .

O LORD my God, if I have done wrong

or am guilty of injustice,

if I have betrayed a friend

or plundered my enemy without cause,

then let my enemies capture me.

Let them trample me into the ground

and drag my honor in the dust.

Arise, O LORD, in anger!

Stand up against the fury of my enemies!

Wake up, my God, and bring justice!

Gather the nations before you.

Rule over them from on high. . . .

Declare me righteous, O LORD,

for I am innocent, O Most High!

End the evil of those who are wicked,

and defend the righteous.

For you look deep within the mind and heart,

O righteous God.

We’ve read about it in the news—someone in the wrong place at the wrong time, accused of a crime he or she didn’t commit. These stories pull at our hearts because we know deep within us what it means to be wrongly accused. Not of a crime, necessarily—accusation can be an internal, spiritual battle as well.

Psalm 7 plays on two levels. The first is that we actually can be accused of something we didn’t do: sharing a secret we were sworn to keep, gossiping about another person, acting in a way that was detrimental to a friend, or even committing a crime. When this happens, we can be driven to prove our innocence and can drown in our desire to bring the real wrongdoers to justice. The second—and perhaps more relevant—level on which this psalm operates is the spiritual level. Jesus called Satan “the father of lies” (see John 8:44), and in Revelation, Satan is called “the accuser” (see 12:10). Satan’s specialty is to get us to believe lies about ourselves. Some of us believe the lie that we are worthless and unredeemable. Others believe that we can’t be forgiven and that our past will always have a hold on us. Still others believe that we should forever be ashamed of what we’ve done or what’s been done to us. When we hear these lies, we can run to God for refuge and ask him to remind us who we are in him. Our identity is in Christ; we are loved and forgiven; we are freed. And we can call on God to stand against Satan on our behalf. How might our lives be shaped if, when the accusations came, we turned our hearts immediately to God for refuge?

• Read this passage again slowly. What word or phrase stands out to you? Why do you think that particular word or phrase speaks to you? What does it say?
• What are the false accusations that most often plague your thoughts? Under what circumstances are you tempted to believe that these accusations are true?
• Take a moment in silence, remembering that you are in God’s loving presence, and ask him to remind you of what’s true of you. Write down whatever comes to mind.

Lord, thank you for my identity in Christ and all that I am because of him. When my mind slips into old ways of thinking or when Satan whispers lies into my mind and heart, rescue me! Remind me of what you say is true of me, what has become my true identity in Christ. Turn my attention to you and the work you’ve given me to do. Run Satan off and grant me the freedom to know I am secure in your love. Amen.