May 14, 2024 Devo

Have you ever been betrayed? There’s hardly anything that hurts more than that. You expect your enemies to hurt you. That kind of goes with the very definition of “enemies.” You’re not even terribly shocked when you get cheated on by a stranger or someone you don’t know all that well. But when it’s someone you love, or someone you’ve shared life deeply with, or someone you’ve made yourself vulnerable to, it cuts to the heart. You feel violated. You’re devastated. Your guard goes up, and you wonder if you can trust anyone ever again. It takes a long time to recover from that kind of hurt.
David understood that kind of pain. In our verse today, he tells us that he was betrayed by his best friend. Someone he laughed with, hung out with, and ate with. Someone he “trusted completely.” A person he regarded as a brother. Now his heart is shattered. So David cries out to God. And you know what? God understands. He’s had His heart shattered like that, too.
Our verse today is another “prophetic verse.” It describes what happened to Jesus. One of the key figures in the last week of Jesus’ life is the infamous Judas. Judas had traveled with Jesus, ministered with Jesus, and supported Jesus. He was one of Jesus’ twelve closest friends. But then, something happened. We’re not sure what. Greed? Disillusionment? Jealousy? Who knows? But Judas decided to sell Jesus out. So he plotted with Jesus’ enemies, looked for an opportune time, had one last meal with Jesus, and then the kicker…he identified Jesus to His accusers by giving Jesus a warm, brotherly kiss. Jesus wasn’t betrayed by a stranger or an infiltrating enemy. He was betrayed by someone He had invested in, cared for, and loved deeply. Think about it…the beatings, the crown of thorns, and the cross all happened because of the betrayal by a close friend.
Some of you are bearing your own cross of betrayal. A spouse, a best friend, a pastor, or a close coworker has turned on you. They cheated you. They abandoned you. They chose someone else instead of you. Your heart has been broken. You’ve been hurt financially. Your world has been rocked. You’re hurting like you have never hurt before. And I am so sorry. I wish I could tell you the pain will pass quickly, but it won’t. Those kinds of scars take a long while to heal. What I will tell you is that you can talk to God about it. You can tell Him how angry you are, how unfair it is, and how you just can’t believe someone would do something like that to you. You can yell, scream, and bawl your eyes out to God. He won’t be mad at you or disappointed in you for acting that way. He understands. And He will comfort you, heal you, and restore you. He will also tell you to never let a betrayer define, defeat, or discourage you. Though you feel like dying today, your story of betrayal will not end on a cross. Just like Jesus, God will cause you to RISE AGAIN. Out of the ashes of betrayal, God does some of His best work. That’s God’s Word for you today.