April 9, 2025 Devo

One of the hard lessons I’ve learned in leadership is that you can’t control what people say about you. Through the years I’ve had to make several hard decisions, many of which caused various people to become upset with me. Most get upset, come see me and tell me what’s on their mind, and then just go on with life. But some make it more personal.
I remember one situation where a couple got upset and got really ugly about it. They questioned my character to others. They insinuated horrible things about my personal life. The things that they said were not true at all, but it cut me to the core. There is a certain amount of powerlessness that you have against gossip. The best you can do is live with integrity, not respond to anger with anger, and trust the process to God.
That was what I thought of when I read our verse for today. Though we can’t control the ugly things that people might say or do, we do have one thing in our favor. God is our Protector. David knew he couldn’t save himself. He knew that there were people who would hurt him if they could and would slander him at every opportunity. So David came to God to plead his case. David would do his part to live an upright and righteous life. But he was going to have to trust God with his life and his reputation.
That’s good advice for all of us. Some of you may be hurting today because you heard that someone said something hurtful or untrue about you. Maybe they’re jealous of you. Maybe they’re afraid of you. Maybe they’re mad because they can’t intimidate you or control you. Maybe they just have a mean spirit, and you seem to be a good target. Whatever the reason, your response is the same. Live right, don’t retaliate, and trust God with your reputation. Let God be your Protector.
Trust me, I'm not telling you it’s always easy. None of us like being attacked and having awful things said about us. But God has shown me through the years that there are some things I can control and other things that I cannot. I can control who I am. I can control what I say and what I do. What I CAN’T control are other people. So if you find yourself on the receiving end of attacks or gossip by other people, don’t worry about THEM. Worry about you. Control you and trust all the rest of it to the Lord. He’s your Protector. That’s God’s Word for you today.