Vindication

From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!

-Psalm 17:2 (ESV)

I want to let God vindicate me. If I have suffered short shrift, I would rather have God set things straight, than fight back myself. An early Church Father wrote, "O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself.” About this, Oswald Chambers said,

Such a need for constant vindication destroys our soul’s faith in God. Don’t say, “I must explain myself,” or, “I must get people to understand.” Our Lord never explained anything— He left the misunderstandings or misconceptions of others to correct themselves.

The Jesus Way is not to retaliate and also not to criticize, dismiss, or give up on people who are out-of-line with God.  The Jesus Way is to be in God's presence as a life-style and then receive all from God.

When we live in a self-vindication posture, we are focused on self and on pushing others back.  The alternative is to live in God's presence and take your pain to him and receive life from him.

Is God my provider?  Do I get esteem through relationship with Christ?  Do I speak and minister from the empowering of the Holy Spirit?  Where is my dependency?

People will let us down, misunderstand us, sell us short, and even betray us.  We constantly give out grace and forgive.  We speak the truth, in love.  We might rebuke someone, but not harshly.  We care enough to confront and we humbly welcome confrontation from others.  This is The Jesus Way, living life in the presence, in the face of God.

If we live in God's presence, we have grace for others.  We can be misunderstood and not be put out of commission.  I wish you would get me, but if you don't, my hope is that we can both dwell in the Lord's presence enough to be gracious and know that he will settle things.

It is like saying, "let God be the judge".  Let God arbitrate.  Let us let God give us justice.  When we have had an injustice, we want to let God settle it.  Will we trust him and look to him, or will we be a vigilante and even the score ourselves?

May we look to the Spirit for affirmation and vindication.