Vindicate me in your righteousness, Lord my God;
do not let them gloat over me.
Psalm 35:24
Have you ever been falsely accused? Been the subject of gossip? Had lies spread about you?
When you know deep in your heart that you are innocent, it is incredibly painful to hear rumors about yourself. To have your integrity brought into question, your reputation slandered. Some days, it is all you can do to get out of bed in the morning, knowing the battle you face.
Some days, you simply cry out to God, “Vindicate me, oh God!”
Vindicate. Clear my name of false accusations. Prove my innocence through the truth. Present evidence justifying my actions. Defend me!
You’ve probably been there before. I know I have. And, I’m walking this path again, hearing my name slandered. I find myself begging God to vindicate me, to make my righteousness shine like the dawn and the justice of my cause like the noonday sun (Psalm 37:6).
I woke up early this morning, after a dream of my accusers coming against me. In my dream, I stood up to those spreading lies against me, only to again be made the villain instead of the victim. My heart was racing and the tears stung my eyes as I cried out to God, “Vindicate me! Bring the truth to light! Be my Defender!”
How do we respond to these lies? How do we escape this vicious cycle of attack? How do we survive an evil attack against our name and our reputation?
Unjust attacks seem to be the common experience of humanity. A quick search of scripture finds many instances of the words “vindicate me,” words typically cried out in the anguish of heart that comes with unjust attacks. Perhaps King David cried out to God for vindication more often than any other Biblical character. As I search the Psalms, I find some keys to surviving these attacks.
Examine my life.
Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. Psalm 26:2-3
Before we can expect God to vindicate us, we must first make sure we are truly innocent of the accusations. We must allow God to search our hearts, to convict us of any sin we might be harboring in our hearts.
In Psalm 17, David stands before God, proclaiming his innocence. He is able to move forward with a clear conscience, knowing He has walked in God’s ways. He stands before God clear of any wrong-doing.
Have you allowed God to test your heart, to see if there is any truth in the attacks? If you have been found innocent by God, then move forward, head held high.
Trust His protection.
Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. Psalm 57:1
Throughout scripture, God promises to be our protector, our refuge in times of trouble (Psalm 59:16). He is our hiding place (Psalm 32:7), the God who saves us (Psalm 88:1), and the rock in whom we take refuge (Psalm 18:2).
God has promised to protect us from harm. Yes, we may face false accusations on this earth. We may deal with unjust attacks. We may feel as if we are going to drown, as if our lives are over.
But the truth is found in scripture: He is our Defender, our protection. The waves of slander may rock us and toss us all about, but He will not let them drown us. As long as we cling to Him for our protection, we will not be moved.
Trust His character.
I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. Psalm 138:2
Unfailing love. Faithfulness. Gracious. Merciful. Forgiving. Slow to anger. Kind. Giver of peace. Fiercely jealous. Infinitely wise. Holy. Sovereign. Good. Infinite, eternal, and incomprehensible. All-powerful and all-knowing.
God’s character is fully trustworthy, and He is unable to change that character.
God is all-knowing. He knows the truth. He is all-seeing. He sees your pain, the injustice with which you are being treated. He is the one who reveals truth, bringing deeds done in darkness out into the light (1 Corinthians 4:5).
It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow. Or next week or next month or even next year. But God’s ways are perfect, higher than ours. We can trust His character, trust that He will bring the truth to light. In His faithful love and mercy, He will care for you and sustain you.
Trust His past faithfulness.
For I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. Psalm 26:3
Throughout scripture, we see people continuously reflecting on God’s faithfulness. Whether it’s the Israelites reflecting on the Red Sea and the many miracles they experienced in the wilderness or David reflecting on how God preserved His life from King Saul or Jacob reflecting on God’s goodness at the end of His life (Genesis 48:15), it was a recurring theme to focus on the ways God had walked faithfully with them throughout their lives.
Reflecting on God’s past faithfulness reminds us of how He has seen us through in the past, giving us strength to keep moving forward in the present. His nature never changes.
Praise His name.
I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. Psalm 138:2
No matter what life throws your way, we should praise His holy name! He is worthy of honor and glory!
When we praise, we intentionally choose to focus our hearts and minds back on God, on who He is, His character, His goodness and grace. We shift our minds to the good and noble and just and praiseworthy. We take our minds off our problems and begin thinking about God and His power and majesty.
And in so doing, we partake in His perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3), peace that transcends our understanding (Philippians 4:6-8). We no longer have to worry about the lies and false accusations; instead we can simply rest in our Father’s love.
Dena Johnson is a busy single mom of three amazing kids. Her greatest desire is to use her darkest days—days marred by adultery and divorce—to encourage others to find the joy of a life restored by Jesus Christ.
Dena is the founder of Dena Johnson Ministries, a non-profit organization with a mission of bringing hope to lives broken by the pain of this world. Her first book, Picking Up the Pieces: Rebuilding Your Life After the Storms of Adultery and Divorce, will be released later this year.
In her spare time, Dena works as a Registered Nurse and is a regular contributor at Crosswalk.com. If you would like to contact Dena, please feel free to interact with her on her blog Dena Johnson Ministries or email her at Dena@denajohnson.com.
Publication date: August 24, 2016
