For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.
But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God in the throng.

(Psalm 55:12-14 NKJV)

“Iva, to the chair.” We had rehearsed our graduation ceremony earlier that morning, and I never doubted that Iva, my guide dog would take me anywhere else. Suddenly, two Guiding Eyes instructors began redirecting me. What had happened? I soon discovered that the instructors had prevented me from falling in the floor, because Iva had taken me to the podium, and not the chair.  They saved me from an embarrassing moment in front of the crowd gathered for the Guiding Eyes graduation. As I sat facing the audience, my fingers tapped out no particular rhythm, stopping momentarily to stroke Iva’s velvety black ear. I inhaled her freshly bathed scent as my heart raced, and I prayed for no more blunders.

After the graduation ceremony ended, Lori, my instructor led me to a quiet place in the hallway. “Always check your dog. Never assume she is correct.”

Today, more than four years later, I recall those words. Oh, I can trust Iva. It’s people I cannot trust.

In Psalm fifty-five, David wrote about betrayal. He knew it well. His own son, Absalom had plotted a rebellion against him. Absalom had wormed his way into the hearts of many in Israel, including David’s closest friend and advisor, Ahithophel. Now, Ahithophel was sharing counsel with Absalom.

Have you tasted the bitterness of betrayal? Have you felt the deep pangs of a broken friendship? The one place you never expected it to come from was a Christian brother or sister, but when it does, it catches us off-guard. We forget that although we are Christians, we live in bodies of flesh. We don’t expect another Christian to deliberately hurt us, but it happened to David, and it happened to Jesus, too.

David was running for his life. Time didn’t wait for him to bandage his wounded heart, but as we continue reading in Psalm fifty-five, we find what David did.

First, David trusted God to confuse Ahithophel as he counseled Absalom. Then David trusted God to handle those who had betrayed him. He didn’t have time to allow bitterness to take root. David prayed at least three times daily and he cast his burdens on God.

Do you have fresh wounds? Do you bear the scars of a trusting heart? Have you considered never allowing someone to get close enough to hurt you again? I want to follow my guide dog instructor’s advice, and check the people in my life, but that’s not as simple as checking for a chair.

We risk having our hearts wounded when we love, but not loving isn’t living. Let’s face it, we will face the sting of betrayal again, but we now know that we can turn to this Psalm and find the instructions for caring for deep wounds. Pray. Give it to Jesus, and pray some more.

Heavenly Father, I come to You with a shattered heart. Take the crushed pieces of my soul and make them like new. Make me a better person from out of these ashes of my pain. Amen.

DIG DEEPER

Read Psalm 55:22 NKJV:

Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

HIKING THE TRAIL

Our part is to cast our burdens on the Lord. According to the above verse, what is God’s part?

RELATED RESOURCES

They say that a dog is man’s best friend. Yes, Iva has been the best best friend. Get both of my Guide Dog Tale Devotionals for one low price here.

Originally posted on May 10, 2021 @ 3:00 am