Guilty of Loving too Much...

In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.  (Psalms 109:4, ESV)

It doesn’t get much harder than verse 4 in the life of a believer.  Romans 13, verse 8 tells us to owe no one anything but love because love does no harm...love fulfills the law.  David tells us here that he is hated by them because he loved them.  He was guilty of loving too much.  What should have earned him gratitude and love earned him their hatred.  The same was true for our Lord Jesus and the same will be true for us as believers...they will render to us evil for our good because we follow after who is good. (Ps 38:20)

But here is the beautiful picture that we see in David as well as Jesus.  

“but I give myself to prayer”....in the Hebrew this is rendered “but I am prayer” David literally became prayer. He leaves his adversaries unanswered and goes to His Lord in prayer. He commits Himself to the One who judges righteously.   Before his accusers, he is silent.

I am reminded of what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:15:

“And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”

In Matthew 10 Jesus reminds us that the disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. In the same chapter He says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Sadly, as believers we may face times of being rejected by those we love...even by those in whom we have literally poured our lives, simply because we love and follow Jesus.

Our hearts, as David’s was, will hurt and be wounded within us.  But that’s okay...we are loved with an everlasting love and can entrust our hearts AND our souls to our God who who judges righteously.  We are in good company and can make His footsteps our pathway.

Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?—John 10:32

And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.—Luke 6:11-12

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.  Psalms 69:13,