Psalm 12

Psalm 12 (NRSV)

1 Help, O Lord , for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other;
with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Lord,
The poets who wrote the Psalms are full of faith but they are never optimistic. In the end, they fully believe that you will prevail and you will make all things right but in the meantime the world is a terrible mess and is populated by liars and hypocrites. To paraphrase the old folk song, where have all the faithful gone, long time passing?

The prophet and the apostle both declare that “all have sinned” which is true enough. Neither spiritual, moral, nor ethical perfection happens often in this world – Never! And some people will lie to you and some will lie about you and some will smile and say “Sweet Jesus” as they insert the verbal knife into your back. It does get very personal sometimes and the pain serves as a reminder of the fires of hell.

But Lord, there is more to the truth than this. You have blessed me to be companioned by some wonderful image-of-God human beings who really do reflect the character of Christ. There are some who tell the truth and keep promises and walk the path of integrity. Thank you for these better souls.

So, Lord, hear my prayer. Give me a gift of discernment in order to tell the difference between those who have integrity and those who don’t. Save me from the temptation to listen to honeyed lips and those who present a handsome appearance and grant grace to look into the heart and mind.

PERSONAL PRAYERS:

Ask God to give you discernment in relationships.
Ask God to help you to walk the path of integrity.
Name 5 things for which you are grateful and say “Thank you” to God.
In Christ’s name,
Amen.


3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail;
our lips are our own—who is our master?”
5 “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord ;
“I will place them in the safety for which they long.”
6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure,
silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord , will protect us;
you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among humankind.
[1]

[1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1996, c1989. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.