Please read Psalm 41 (13 verses)

If I judge others harshly, I will be judged by the same standard. The Lord will be merciful to those who have regard for the weak and help them to overcome their difficulties. As we help each other, we are helped of the Lord. We are sustained in the battle with the enemy and strengthened and healed on our sickbeds, that His name will be glorified.

The Lord teaches us in this Psalm some strategies of the evil one, so that we are not naive as we face the enemy. Enemies can appear friendly and supportive but are just gathering information to spread it around and sully the name of the godly person. They harbour hatred in their hearts but appear helpful. They whisper and gossip and say that the misfortune that has befallen the child of God is their own fault and harbour blame towards the suffering person. It can even happen that trusted friends and family can turn against us and gossip and blame us and make us a scapegoat for the ills of the world. People like to tear others down, as it makes them feel good about themselves, and they imagine they are better than others around them. It is rampant pride and insecurity that drive much talk and posturing in our societies.

We can even be betrayed by the people closest to us, who share our homes and our lives. We can be left feeling bitter and cynical about the whole of human life and find ourselves retreating from it all. We can even suffer deep depressions as a result of this kind of behaviour, but the Lord will help us and heal us and give us back our fellow feeling for other humans who have let us down so badly. Only the work of God will help us to forgive and be healed. The Lord our God will not allow the evil-doers to triumph over us but will deliver us and give us great blessings. We magnify His name for all His mighty goodness. The psalmist reminds us that the Lord is the eternal God and His person and purposes are everlasting. We can trust in Him at all times.