God Sees, God Shields: When You’ve Been Wronged (Psalm 7)

Send us a text

Episode Summary

Psalm 7 is a powerful guide for those who have been slandered, falsely accused, or deeply wounded by injustice. In this episode of Counseling Through the Psalms, James Long, Jr. helps us explore how David moves from protest to praise—not by denying the pain of injustice, but by entrusting it to God’s perfect justice.

When your name is attacked or your heart is weary, this psalm shows you how to search your conscience, cry out for truth, and rest in the righteousness of God. It is a psalm for those who need both refuge and reassurance in a world where justice often feels delayed or denied.

Key Takeaways

• God is both the righteous judge and a personal refuge for the wounded.
• Prayer can be a protest—not against God, but to Him.
• True vindication starts with humility, not self-defense.
• God's patience toward evildoers does not equal indifference.
• We can move from protest to praise when we trust God's justice more than our own vindication.

Scripture Focus

• Psalm 7:1–17
• Deuteronomy 32:4
• Psalm 18:2
• Romans 2:4–6
• Proverbs 10:9

Reflect and Respond

• Have you ever been falsely accused or misrepresented? How did you respond?
• What would it look like to entrust your situation to God as your righteous judge?
• Are you trying to fight for justice in your own strength, or are you taking refuge in the Lord?
• What area of your life needs honest examination like David models in verses 3–5?
• What does it mean to you that God is your shield, even when others don’t defend you?
• How can you begin to move from protest to praise before your situation is resolved?

Resources and Links

• Join the Community: https://jameslongjr.org/signupnow
• Free Navigator Level: https://community.jameslongjr.org

Subscribe and Follow

Listen to Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr. on your favorite podcast platform:

• Apple Podcasts: https://jameslongjr.org/applepodcast
• Spotify: https://jameslongjr.org/spotify
• Amazon Music: https://jameslongjr.org/amazonmusic
• Google Podcasts: https://jameslongjr.org/googlepodcast
• YouTube: https://jameslongjr.org/youtube

Connect and Share

• Instagram: @drjameslongjr – https://jameslongjr.org/instagram
• Facebook: https://jameslongjr.org/facebook
• YouTube: https://jameslongjr.org/youtube
• Hashtag: #LessonsForLifePodcast

ABOUT JAMES AND LESSONS FOR LIFE

Are you longing to find answers to the deeper issues of life? Join Dr. James Long, Jr., a pastor, counselor, and university professor with over 30 years of experience. Hear James as he tackles some of life’s biggest questions and helps us find God’s solutions to life’s struggles. Learn the power of living by God’s grace and for His glory. Experience the joy of forgiveness and freedom found in Jesus Christ alone. If you are in search of freedom, you will love being part of this conversation. Subscribe, and enjoy the show!

Links
Website – https://jameslongjr.org/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/
Apple Podcast – https://jameslongjr.org/applepodcast
Google Podcast – https://jameslongjr.org/googlepodcast

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Counseling Through the Psalms with James
Long Jr, a special series fromLessons for Life.
I'm James, and in each episodewe will journey into the rich,
honest and healing language ofthe Psalms to find hope, clarity
and comfort for life's deepeststruggles.
Whether you're wrestling withanxiety, grief, anger or

(00:21):
spiritual dryness, the Psalmsoffer us a path towards
restoration and peace throughGod's Word.
So, wherever you are right now,take a deep breath and let's
enter into the heart ofScripture together.
Well, welcome back everyone.
It's James.
Grab your Bible journal and penand pencil.
There we go and let's spendsome time looking through Psalm

(00:44):
7.
Psalm 7 is our next step in ourLessons for Life Counseling
through the Psalms series.
We have entitled this PsalmJustice for the Wounded Trusting
God's Righteousness when You'veBeen Wronged.
Psalm 7 gives voice to thosewho have been falsely accused,
misunderstood or mistreated,offers a path from anguish to

(01:08):
assurance, guiding the woundedheart to take refuge in God's
righteous judgments rather thantaking revenge into their own
hands when justice feels out ofreach.
There are few wounds deeperthan being falsely accused or
unjustly treated, whether itcomes from betrayal in a
relationship, slander in aworkplace or conflict in the

(01:29):
church, injustice creates aparticular kind of soul
weariness, a mix of fear, rage,confusion and helplessness.
Psalm 7 is a lifeline for thosemoments.
David begins not withretaliation but with refuge.
Look what it says in verse 1.
O Lord, my God, in you do Itake refuge.

(01:52):
Save me from all my pursuersand deliver me.
He runs to the Lord not tovindicate himself in his own
strength, but to seek protectionand deliverance.
David was likely facing a realthreat from a man named Cush, a
Benjamin Knight, possibly asupporter of Saul, who had
slandered David's name.

(02:12):
But the psalm is timeless.
It is a model for how torespond when you are
misrepresented and maligned.
The temptation in moments likethese is to either lash out or
to collapse.
But David chose a better way.
He pours out his heart to theLord and invites God to examine
his conscience.
Watch what it says in verses3-5.

(02:34):
O Lord, my God, if I have donethis, if there is wrong in my
hands.
And then a little bit later onit says let my enemies pursue my
soul and overtake it.
This is a remarkable act ofvulnerability and humility.
David is not defensive.
He is honest.
He knows that vindication mustbe rooted in truth, not pride,

(02:55):
bringing your case to therighteous judge.
When the heart is bruised byinjustice, prayer can become a
protest, not against God, but tohim.
In verses 6-9, david appeals toGod's righteous character.
Arise, o Lord, in your anger.
Lift yourself up against thefury of my enemies.

(03:17):
Let the assembly of the peoplebe gathered about you.
Return on high.
David imagines God as a cosmicjudge seated on his throne
hearing the case and rendering averdict.
He's not calling for impulsivevengeance.
He is appealing to divinejustice.
Watch what he says here inverse 8.
The Lord judges the people.

(03:39):
Judge me, o Lord, according tomy righteousness and according
to the integrity that is in me.
Many people who suffer injusticefeel invisible or voiceless.
Their pain is compounded bysilence or indifference from
others.
Psalm 7 reminds us that God notonly sees injustice, he judges

(03:59):
it.
He is not detached, he is notapathetic, he weighs motives, he
exposes lies, he vindicates theupright.
The psalm does not teachself-righteousness.
David's plea is not that he issinless in general, but that he
is innocent in this specificsituation.
This distinction is vital forthose who have been hurt but

(04:20):
wonder if they brought it uponthemselves.
Psalm 7 encourages us toexamine ourselves honestly,
confess what might need to beconfessed and to entrust the
rest to God's hands, the PatientPower of God's Justice.
Verse 9 captures the cry ofevery person who has been
wronged and wants to seeresolution.

(04:41):
It says O, let the evil of thewicked come to an end and may
you establish the righteous.
But it does not stop there.
It says this you who test theminds and hearts, o righteous
God.
David's hope is not getting hisstory out.
It is in the one who alreadyknows the truth.
For those navigating spiritualand relational traumas, verse 10

(05:02):
offers a balm.
My shield is with God, whosaves the upright in heart.
The world may not believe you,the accuser may twist your words
, but the Lord shields those whowalk in integrity.
The word shield here invokes aprotective surrounding presence.
God is not just a defender.
He is your safe place.

(05:24):
But Psalm 7 also issues asobering warning.
God's justice is not only forthe victim.
It warns the unrepentant.
If a man does not repent, godwill wet his sword.
He has bent and ready his bowVerse 12.
God's patience is real, but itis not permission In the

(05:45):
counseling room.
This reminds us to guide thosewho have sinned against others
towards true repentance, and itreassures victims that silence
is not the same as indifference.
God is patient, but he is notpassive.
From Protest to Praise, thefinal verses of Psalm 7 bring us
a shift.
David ends not with a demandfor revenge, but with a doxology

(06:09):
.
He says in verse 17, I willgive to the Lord the thanks due
to his righteousness and I willsing praise to the name of the
Lord, the Most High.
How did he get there?
David still bears the wounds ofinjustice.
His circumstances have notchanged, but his heart has.
In entrusting his case to theLord, david finds peace, not

(06:31):
because he now controls theoutcome, but because he knows
who does.
This is where many find rest,not in knowing when or how God
will act, but in knowing that hewill do so.
In seasons of betrayal, falseaccusations or injustice, psalm
7 teaches us how to cry out,search our hearts, trust God's

(06:53):
justice and even sing again.
This is not a naive optimism.
It is the deep resiliencegrounded in the character of God
.
Well, let's look at somedoctrinal insights that we find
from this psalm.
God's Righteousness.
God is always just in Hisjudgments.
He does not overlook wickedness, nor does he condemn the

(07:15):
innocent unjustly.
You can see that in Deuteronomy32.4.
We also see God as refuge.
The Lord is not only arighteous judge, but a personal
protector for those who seek HimPsalm 18.2.
Repentance and Judgment God'sjustice calls for repentance.

(07:35):
If there's no repentance, hisjudgment will come with
precision and power.
We see that in Romans, chapter2, verses 4 through 6.
The Integrity of the UprightIntegrity is not perfection, but
a life that is aligned withGod's truth, which brings His
sustaining presence.
We see that in Proverbs 10.9.

(07:58):
Now let's make this practical.
For counselors, it offers aframework to walk people through
personal reflection, righteouslament and spiritual surrender.
For leaders, it reminds us tosearch our own motives when
criticism comes and to trust Godto vindicate what is right when
criticism comes, and to trustGod to vindicate what is right.
For victims of slander.
It promises that God is notblind to falsehood and will act

(08:21):
in his perfect time.
For churches, it callscommunities to be places where
justice, not just unity, isvalued, where truth is lovingly
pursued.
Reflect and respond.
Now let's look at somequestions.
Remember, grab your journal andwork through it.
If you have to stop the podcasthere, please do, and then go

(08:42):
through these questions.
Question number one have youever been wrongly accused or
misunderstood?
How did you respond?
Question number two what wouldit look like to entrust your
situation to God as yourrighteous judge?
Question number three are youseeking justice in your own
strength or are you seekingrefuge in the Lord?

(09:04):
Question number four wheremight you need to honestly
examine your own heart, as Daviddid in verses three through
five?
Question number five what doesit mean for you personally that
God is your shield?
Question number six how can youmove from protest to praise
even before the situation isresolved?

(09:27):
Let us pray Righteous andmerciful Father, you see every
wound that I carry, every wordtwisted against me and every
injustice that I cannot makeright.
Search my heart and, if thereis any fault in me, reveal it
with grace.
Defend me where I have beenwronged.
Be my refuge when I feelexposed.
Let your justice roll down likewater and let your mercy shape

(09:51):
my heart.
While I wait, teach me to trustyour timing, to rest in your
truth and to praise you evenbefore the verdict comes.
In your Son's righteous, holyand powerful name, we pray Amen.
Here's a call to action.
If you've been hurt byinjustice or overwhelmed by
false accusations, do not carrythis burden alone.

(10:12):
Psalm 7 invites you to a Godwho hears, sees and acts with
perfect justice.
If you'd like to learn moreabout us, join our free
navigator level of Lessons forLife community at
communityjameslongjrorg fordevotionals, meetups and

(10:32):
training that can help you walkby faith, or you can explore one
of our full memberships atjameslongjrorg slash.
Sign up now for deeper coachingand content designed to help
you grow in emotional,relational and spiritual wisdom.
You do not have to win thebattle alone.

(10:53):
Let God be your righteous judgeand your gracious shield.
Be blessed everyone.
Until next time, take care.