Trusting God When Facing Difficult People

Psalms 56:4

⁴ In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? (NIV)

Dealing with difficult people and hard relationships can be overwhelming. We find ourselves on the defensive, attempting to defend ourselves. We might even go on the attack in order to slow their offensive against us. However, whenever our behavior, words, or even attitude stray from the direction given to us by the Word of God, we have abandoned our protection. 

The Scripture is full of references to how the Lord allows the wicked to seemingly flourish, but their sinful ways push them further from the Lord, the source of life. The Bible says they dry up and wither until they are no more. The Lord may allow for wickedness to prosper for a short time. He has extended grace to them, hoping they will repent. God loves the wicked, too. But if they do not repent, they distance themselves from God. and their life begins to wither away until they are no more. 

On the contrary, those who obey and honor the Lord, especially in their response to wickedness, draw nearer to God, and He will not forsake them. Their life will continue to thrive in every way while the wicked become entangled in their own rebellion, creating trouble for themselves. He will sabotage himself completely if he does not repent. 

If we trust the Lord and His word, then we only need to wait while responding to their wickedness in a way that honors God. They will either repent, be destroyed, or destroy themselves to the point that they are no longer lying in wait to destroy us. The Lord will remove them somehow or strip them of their power, even as He protects the righteous and increases His favor in their life. 

If you are in a difficult situation, focus on your own behavior, words, and attitude to ensure you are honoring Him and staying near His protection. Don’t let the momentary success of the wicked confuse you. God is being God, extending grace. But His grace to the wicked will not be to the point of forsaking the righteous. 

Prayer: Lord, keep my eyes upon my own behavior more than my enemies that I might honor You in all my ways. Amen.