Psalm 12
March 23, 2025 O Lord, we are grateful that You rule over this earth: that, as the psalmist
describes, You guard us from evil, You arise to protect the poor and needy. Your words are pure
and trustworthy, and every one of them is a gift to us.
It feels like this psalm could have been written today. We read the news and grow weary
of the boasting, arrogance, and wickedness that we hear exalted all around us. We see
things that are vile being celebrated, we see the poor and needy being neglected,
deported, silenced, and struggling. Or maybe sometimes we don’t see them because
we are busy with our own lives and problems. It’s easy to confess to you the things we
see others doing that seems so evil. But if we’re honest, we have been a part of it. We
have uttered lies or flattery or boasts to make our lives easier or make ourselves feel
better. We have looked out for ourselves more than for the poor among us. We have
trusted our own thoughts more than your always-pure words. Forgive us, Lord, for how
often our hearts and our actions do not reflect Your purity, Your truth, and Your care for
the oppressed. By Your Spirit help us to see others the way You do and to treat them as
You would: with sacrificial, long-suffering love.
The story of Nebuchadnezzar shows how You can turn even proudest hearts to
Yourself. We pray for leaders both in our country and in countries around the world:
would you put a stop to laws and policies that oppress, to tongues that boast, to the
promotion of evil? And would you instead channel their hearts like a stream of water
towards You, that they may make laws that are just, and so that we may live peaceful
and quiet lives that honor You and care for those around us?
Thank You that You are always trustworthy and good. You are the rock that we can build
our lives on, a place of stability when the world feels chaotic. May we in turn offer that to
others around us who need stability in their own lives. We ask this in Jesus’ name, and
all God’s people said, Amen.