Psalm 119: 1-24: Hurt by words, Healed by the Word

by Peter Roxburgh

Psalm 119:1-24 (NIV)

A few years ago there was a girl in our cell group who very kindly suggested that I would never get married because I had a mono-brow. 

That, although said in seriousness (!), was light-hearted. But not all attacks are so easy to brush off.  

Public figures such as pastors will often be subject to slander even by people that have or are part of their church via blogs, comments and so on. 

But all of us have experienced painful words spoken to us or about us; whether it is a harsh thing that a husband says to a wife, regular sarcastic comments by a boss, a parent telling a child they will 'never amount to anything', a child shouting 'I hate you' to their parent or even friends saying things about you behind your back, or even us telling ourselves that we can never change.  We've all experienced those to varying degrees. 

In vs 23 and 24 the Psalmist says "Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors."

I was quite taken by that. How often do we mull, stew and burn up over things that have been said to us or about us, particularly things that we know are false? How often do we want to seek revenge, seek to correct them, sometimes even start to believe them?  

The Psalmists response is exactly what our response should be. He ignores the slander and hurtful words and instead goes straight to the word of God! 

Can we be challenged to do that? Why go to the word of God?  Because there we will find the truth about who we are and what God would have us do. There, as the Psalmist says, is where we will find delight and counsel (v24).  

If someone says that you are a 'good for nothing' then the Word of God tells you that He has created you in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared for you to do (Eph 2:10)

If they say you will never be able to do anything, the Word of God says that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it (Phil 1:6)

The next time someone speaks negative, accusatory words over you, quickly overcome any anger or sense of injustice, don't fire equally negative words back, don't allow the enemy to make you start to believe those words, don't go bitching to someone else, go to the Word of God. 

Much easier said than done but it is the best thing you can do. 

Meditate on the truth about God and you. Meditate. Let the Spirit minister that truth from your eyes, to your head and down to  your heart. If there are things you realise you do need to  change then ask the Holy Spirit to help you change. But otherwise let the healing begin immediately.