One of the more unsettling experiences in the life of a believer is when we become the target of lies and slander, when we are unjustly accused of things that we didn’t say or do, or of impure motives for what we have said or done. What can be even more unsettling is that these accusations reflect upon our Lord and Savior since we belong to Him. Sometimes no matter what we say or do, the tension continues to rise as those malicious claims are believed by others and spread like wildfire.

As we read Psalm 120, we find the psalmist in the midst of this type of situation. He gives us the path that we are to follow when we are confronted with false accusations. We need to bring that situation to the Lord in prayer and place it in His hands, and leave it there, because only there in His hands will we once again experience His peace. Only there will our lives be brought back into balance, even as the stress and strain of the attacks of the enemy of our soul swirl all around us.

When there did not seem to be any solution to his affliction, even when his supposed friends lashed out against him, the psalmist didn’t post a message on social media. He didn’t send out an email to his distribution list or a text to everyone that he knew. Instead he cried out to the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, because in the end, only He can deal with those who have no honor. Only He can deal with those who have no integrity or shame, with those who have no truth within them.

Though this was not a situation of his choosing, it accomplished one good thing in the life of the psalmist. It drove him closer to the Lord. Our God hears the cries and prayers of His children. He cried out for the Lord to rescue him by His might and by His strength, and by His mercy. He wanted to be snatched away from the grip of his enemies, whose tongues were stained with the blood of the innocent. Even though they flattered with their words, their intentions were only for evil.

What will the outcome be for the men and women who fight with weapons of darkness? Their repayment will be swift and sure. It will be deadly, like the sharp arrows of a warrior, piercing their heart. Their punishment will be like the burning coals of the juniper tree, which retain their heat and their intensity for a long period of time.

The psalmist found himself sojourning as a stranger in his own land. He knew that everyone who was against him belonged to the enemy of his soul. We also, like the psalmist, dwell among unbelievers who blaspheme the name of our Lord everyday by their words and by their lives, those men and women who ridicule us and persecute us.

Sometimes we can grow weary as we experience the shameful slander of unbelievers, and even of those who claim to be believers. Sometimes we struggle as we are influenced by their wicked ways. We struggle with the weakness of our flesh. We struggle with those around us and so we long to fly away in the glory of heaven.

This world is not our home, but it is the place where we are to shine for our Lord. We suffer for the sake of Christ. We suffer for the sake of His name in order to reach those who are lost in their sin. We testify of the salvation that is offered to all of us who will believe. We are under obligation to reach the lost, since we have been rescued ourselves.

It can be exhausting to dwell with those who hate peace, who hate Christ, who hate the Prince of Peace. We are for peace, but they are for war and attack us from every side and in every way. We who know the Lord live with that tension, even as we come to bring the message of peace with God, through the blood of the cross of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.