.png)
They repay me evil for good
and leave my soul forlorn.
Psalm 35:12
I thought my relationship with narcissism was unique, but I’ve learned that the narcissistic personality appeared throughout human history, including scripture.
David’s sentiments in Psalm 35 felt familiar. Perhaps, his confusion resulted from narcissistic relationships. His bewilderment matched mine in his descriptions of those who:
…contended with him (v. 1)
…hid their net for him without cause (v. 7)
…repaid him evil for good and left his soul forlorn (v. 12)
… gathered in glee when he stumbled (v. 15)
…maliciously mocked (v. 16)
…were enemies without cause (v. 19)
…devised false accusation… (v. 20)
…gloated over his distress… (v. 26)
In verses 13-15, David identified an additional confusion that I, too, understood:
Yet when they were ill, I put on
sack cloth
and humbled myself with fasting.
When my prayer returned to me
unanswered,
I went about mourning
as though for my friend or a brother (v. 13-14).
David cared, but grief and prayer did not change the narcissist. I, too, mourned and ached with God’s compassion for the broken.
David concluded his psalm by offering a fresh direction for my heart. The focus moved me from questioning and grieving to gratefulness for those who walk beside me in the journey toward spiritual health and emotional healing.
May those who delight in my
vindication (deliverance, prosperity, rightness)
shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The LORD be
exalted,
who delights in the well-being of his servant.
My tongue will speak of your
righteousness
and of your praise all day long (v. 27-28).
Father, thank you for providing the comfort of your Word through David’s psalm. Thank You for encouraging me to turn my thoughts toward those who have chosen to walk with me on this healing journey. Guide me in releasing those who choose to hurt me for no reason. May You be glorified in this wound and loss. In Your Son’s name I pray, amen
Comments