Words of Comfort, Hope and Joyنموونە

Character assassination is common, but the Psalmist prays against his enemies, trying to destroy his honor in society.

Honor is a person’s worth and dignity in society; it determines their influence and relationships, as nobody cares about a worthless person. So, portraying people in a bad light is the first step to ruining them. They become non-entities in society while alive.

Job serves as a biblical example of how people can fall from honor to shame and disrespect. When he lost his wealth and became ill, he was forced to leave his place of honor at the city gate among the village elders and go to the rubbish dump. “And he (Job) took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes” (Job 2:8, ESV). His friends believed he must be a sinner to have received such severe punishment. The village boys mocked him despite his age. “But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock” (Job 30:1, ESV).

The Psalmist encourages that what truly matters in life is not public opinion but God’s grace in our lives. Christ’s followers find reassurance in the fact that God supports them, and they refuse to be influenced by human perceptions but by what God thinks of them. As the Psalmist did, they realize they are special to God. “But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him” (Psalms 4:3, ESV).

When our reputation is targeted by those who wish us harm, turn to God in prayer alongside the Psalmist: “Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!” Today, resist the temptation to define yourself by others’ opinions. Instead, lean on Psalm 4:3—know that the Lord sets apart the godly for Himself. Speak truth, seek grace, and leave your reputation in God’s hands.