Are you old enough to remember a time when the “comments section” didn’t exist? Believe it or not, there once was a period of civility when commenting on everything wasn’t a thing. If you had a beef about something that had been written, you could write a letter to the editor. That was your only chance to be heard if it was published, which was often days or weeks after the article had been published. Now, every type of media offers a comment section, and many people go straight to the comments rather than read the article. Opinion now overrules fact-based reporting in most mainstream media.

Social media gave birth to this kind of “venting,” offering a public forum for unchecked negativity, whining, and accusations. I can remember when my hometown newspaper offered a new column called “The Vent” and I was dismayed one day to read an anonymous attack on my church. We were involved in a huge building campaign that included moving our campus to a 63 acre plot of land. The neighbors near that location vented loudly about our plan, and one wrote about the nefarious and questionable intentions of “Pastor Chuck Charming” (our senior pastor) and “Estelle from the Estates” (which would be me, as I lived in a neighborhood called Bradford Estates). We were accused of seeking fame and glory by building a huge megachurch just to satisfy our overblown egos. As if!

Today’s psalm includes venting but offers a beautiful example of how to vent well. This psalm of David came after he had been harshly attacked by his enemies, and David teaches us the perfect way to respond to accusers: In his words, “they accuse me—but I am at prayer.”

Psalm 109 (Common English Bible)

God of my praise, don’t keep quiet,
²     because the mouths of wicked liars
    have opened up against me,
    talking about me with lying tongues.
³ Hateful words surround me;
    they attack me for no reason.
⁴ Instead of returning my love, they accuse me—
    but I am at prayer.
⁵ They repay me evil for good,
    hatred in return for my love.

“I am at prayer.” Just pause for moment and think about how much better the world would be if anger, disappointment, false accusations, and outright hatred would be answered not in inflammatory retorts that escalate the situation, but by the falsely accused turning quietly to prayer instead of retaliation. What if the comments sections ceased to exist all together?

⁶ “Appoint a wicked person to be against this person,” they say,
    “an accuser to stand right next to him.
⁷ When the sentence is passed, let him be found guilty—
    let his prayer be found sinful!

David shows us a better way. He turned to God for vengeance against his enemies. David surely knew how to act on his need for justice and had the skill and courage to defend himself. But he turned to prayer instead and asked God to help, not based on his own righteousness but based on God’s faithful love and mercy for him.

²⁶ Help me, Lord my God!
    Save me according to your faithful love!
²⁷ And let them know that this is by your hand—
    that you have done it, Lord!
²⁸ Let them curse—but you, bless me!
    If they rise up, let them be disgraced,
        but let your servant celebrate!
²⁹ Let my accusers be dressed in shame;
    let them wear their disgrace like a coat.

How do you deal with your enemies? Do you publicly curse them or privately pray for them? Jesus made it clear that we are to pray for our enemies and allow God to have vengeance on our behalf. Venting to God is the only way to vent and we can be assured that God stands right next to us in our distress. So next time you are attacked, take it to the Lord in prayer.

³⁰ But I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth;
    among a great crowd I will praise God!
³¹ Because God stands right next to the needy,
    to save them from any who would condemn them.

Bloom in Love by Becca Ziegler