Man of StrengthSample

BE THE MAN WHO DOESN’T BETRAY THE BETRAYER

Betrayal can’t come from an enemy—you must be friends first. Betrayal does the unthinkable because it’s an act you don’t expect. Nestled a third of the way through the book of Psalms is a chapter (Psalm 55) that deals with a betrayal David once had. David lamented that having an enemy taunt him (remember Goliath?) was more bearable than a friend. A foe could insult him, but it was more damaging from someone he thought he could trust. When the one who knows your secrets shares them, trust dissolves. When that person lies about you, a friendship is broken. When a friend insults you, a storehouse of good memories is shaken out into a violent wind. It’s hard to recover from a betrayal. It hurts. It leaves you weak. It makes you ponder all the things you would’ve done differently if you’d known then what you know now. You can no longer recommend that person for a job in good conscience, and you might secretly hope God will return the favor to this former friend. Even worse, you might try to take matters into your own hands, and the accumulated anger will leave you spiritually bankrupt. When God says to pray for your enemies—to refuse to repay evil for evil—it’s not because He wants to let them off the hook. Rather, He doesn’t want you to place yourself on a brand-new hook. Their betrayal doesn’t modify God’s orders.

Why is it easy to seek an evil end for a betrayer? How can you process the pain of betrayal to discover a better answer?