Memo 1107: Vindication

It's interesting that David was in as much trouble as he was despite the fact that he was God's anointed and God was with him throughout his life. That may give you an indication that even though God is with you, you will probably encounter the same dynamic—trouble—as you seek to live in the abundant life God promised. David prayed,

Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right. Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed (Psalm 17:2-3).

You will also need to learn how to trust the Lord for vindication as you sit on your purpose throne. Let's look at how to do that in this week's Memo.

"CHECK ME OUT"

David was accused of doing or being in the wrong, and the charges were so involved and complex that he had only one choice which was to trust the Lord to clear his name. And while he was waiting for that to happen, he realized that God was going to use the time to "check him out" to see if there was anything specific in David's life and character that had to go.

If you're going to live the abundant life, you have to accept that as you do more, you'll touch more people, some of whom won't be in the mood to celebrate your success or role. They will criticize, find fault, and maybe actively oppose the role God has assigned you. When that happens, you must first look to yourself to see if God is addressing anything in your life that needs to be adjusted so He can promote you even further. Later we read that David prayed,

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

David was inviting God's presence to correct and adjust him as God saw fit. That takes courage and faith, but is a necessary step in your life process.

VINDICATION

Let's be clear as to what vindication means: "the action of clearing someone of blame or suspicion." David had to be patient and wait for God to clear his name. He couldn't take matters into his own hands and do that for himself. I had a similar experience when I made a transition out of a ministry I had served for many years. When I left, there were a lot of accusations of my misdeeds that were beyond my ability to address. Who knows, perhaps some of them were true for who can stand and say they were prefect in any emotionally charged situation.

Then one day, I felt the Lord ask me a question that gave me a choice: "I have two options for you. One option is that I will vindicate you. The other is I will give you ministry opportunities. Which one do you want?" It was such an unusual proposal that I knew it had to be the Lord—I couldn't have made that up.

After some minor negotiating with the Lord to see if I could get a little of both (I couldn't), I chose the ministry opps. God has been faithful and provided those opportunities while I trusted Him for my reputation. God's solution was to take me far away from the ministry I knew to places who didn't know or care about my past, only about what I learned from it that could help them. I've never lacked for places to express my ministry gifts and I can now say what David said at the end of Psalm 17: "As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness" (verse 15).

To summarize, your PowerPoint for Living is as follows:

God is the steward of your reputation and as He promotes you, there are some who won't celebrate your success and may even oppose it. You're to keep your focus on bearing fruit and trust Him to clear your name or to establish it in places of His choosing, not yours.

You won't please everyone on your way to the top of your purpose ladder, but you can rest in the truth of Psalm 135:14: "For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants." Have a blessed week!