Psalm
12 reminds me of those times when the people in our life disappoint
us. Usually it is when those closest to us fall short of our
expectations. It is the spouse that doesn’t see your frustration
or the friend that betrays a trust. It is even more devastating when
you learn one of those people have experience a great moral failure.
Our first human emotion is loneliness as we think, “Is there anyone
I can trust?”. On more than one occasion, David was abandoned by
seemingly everyone in his life. The psalm begins with David crying
out to God, “Help,
Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from
among men“.
He speaks from his heart, “Everyone
lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception“.
But we also see the secret to David’s strength, as he contrasts
the one stable thing in his life, “the
words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of
clay, purified seven times“.
Every person will eventually fall short of our expectation, even the
most respected because “all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
(Romans 3:23). So where do you turn when we are alone? There are
many temporary options to dull the sadness, but none will fill the
void. Hebrews 4:12 give the solution, “The
word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged
sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart“.
God’s Word and God’s Spirit do not disappoint.
Psalm
13 continues with David speaking from the heart. “How
long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide
your face from me?”
David did not sugar-coat his prayers. What a great reminder that
our prayers do not need to be flowery Old English god-speak. Notice
David asks in order to get answers. He does not just shout at God,
he desires to know and he does not give up easily. “How
long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my
heart? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give
light to my eyes.”
David has no back-up plan; he turns to God wholeheartedly, knowing,
“my
foes
will rejoice when I fall“.
There is nothing tentative in his words, “I
trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation“.
It is interesting where David directs his words. He doesn’t seek
complain to those around him, he focuses on God. He says simply, “I
will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me“.
Beginning prayer with a simple description of God will change your
perspective.
Psalm
14 brings us back to where we began. When faced with life’s
disappointments, where do you turn? David says to the closed minded,
“The
fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’“.
And David gives his explanation, “They
are corrupt, their deeds are vile“.
I believe many begin with this assumption because they do not want
to live under the restraints of God’s authority. They say, if
there is no God, and no one can judge me for doing my thing.
Excluding God makes us self-centered and the most miserable people I
know are the ones that are most self-centered. But David has a word
for everyone that has been living without God. Contrary to popular
culture, God desires to forgive and restore everyone that seeks Him.
“The
Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are…
any who seek God.”
Notice he does not say God looks for those doing good deeds. David
adds, “there
is no one who does good, not even one“.
Many of us get applause for our activity our accomplishments, but
God sees the motivation of our heart. Earthly accolades may not
translate into eternal rewards. In our society today the most anger
and harsh words are directed at people of faith from the
“enlightened”. David tells us why, “There
they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company
of the righteous“.
Don’t be discouraged. Instead, “let
your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven”
(Matthew 5:16).