Guilt: By Faith: Prayers and Poetry

Guilt

Failure to rely on God

burrows into soul

regrets fester,

rise to volcanic surge

with public knowledge.

Unleash blame outward

angry whippings

innocent suffer

their visible scars a

continued witness to guilt,

shame-dug grooves.

Hebrews 12:2, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Reflection: Accusation: By Faith: Prayers and Poetry

Reflection Questions

1. What is your immediate reaction to accusation?

2. If there is truth to it do you immediately go to God in prayer, or try to explain it away to yourself?

3. How do you speak truth in love within your family, or workplace, to keep relationships open and honest?

Share: Have you had to take a public stand to expose a lie? What was the result?

Accusation: By Faith: Prayers and Poetry

Hebrews 11: 36, “Others suffered mocking and flogging and even chains and imprisonment.”

Accusation

Often in the Old Testament when prophets and seers spoke God’s truth, they received anger, retaliation, and punishment as a response. Ahab threw Micaiah into prison because of his prophecy. King Asa threw Hanani into prison “for delivering an unfavorable word from the Lord.” Jeremiah was placed in prison and into a miry pit for speaking God’s truth. King Herod into the New Testament had John beheaded, and Peter arrested with the intent of a death sentence.

Even today when truth is spoken in public in opposition to leaders in any forum, the retaliation often comes as legal defamation of character or accusations of slander. Real facts get buried under mud-slinging and false witness.

And personally when a truth is spoken personally that we don’t want to hear we almost immediately come up with excuses, blame others, blame circumstances—anything so as not to take responsibility.

Yet God continues to speak truth into our world and into our lives to bring us light, and hope, and restoration. His love confronts the lies we sometimes don’t even recognize we have absorbed, and removes the poison before it takes hold—if we are willing to listen.

Your thoughts,