Pray in the midst of Godlessness | Morning Routine for September 6

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. …“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” —Psalm 12:1–2, 5 (ESV)

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the unfaithfulness around you? Corruption, perhaps? Godlessness? Lies and hypocrisy? Injustice? Of course, you’re not the first one to have those feelings. In fact, David expresses these feelings to the Lord in Psalm 12.

He says that the ‘godly one is gone’, ‘the faithful have vanished’. There is falsehood and flattery. But don’t miss the fact that this is a prayer. David begins, “Save—or help—O Lord!” He calls on the Lord in the midst of the godlessness that surrounds him, and we should do the same. And in verse 5, the Lord speaks: “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” The Lord declares he will arise, signifying He will not stand by and ignore the injustice indefinitely. And He declares that he will place the needy one ‘in the safety for which he longs’. 

Godlessness and injustice are a fact of fallen life on earth. But God does not sit idly by without regard for us. Rather than simply be angry or complain, cry out to Him. Trust in Him. He will act. Take refuge in the one who causes us to dwell in safety.