Psalms 12 – 14
Verse 12:1 sounds ominous since David was in the nation of Israel:
Help me, O Eternal One, for I can’t find anyone who follows You.
The faithful have fallen out of sight.
I sometimes tend to feel like this when debating a person on the topic of science and the Bible. Once it becomes ultra-technical and the name calling starts, the faithful tend to drop away quickly. I see this in many other debates, where once our faith is challenged we tend to fold and clam up. This may be where David is right now, like when he challenged Goliath.
Think about it a great nation stood before Goliath and shook. No one had the faith that God was going to prevail until David showed up. With no experience in war, he slayed Goliath with no armor or weapons other than a sling and a stone. If we really did follow God we would not back down, we would have faith that God will prevail. This can mean tackling an enemy or discussing our faith with non-believers.
Verse 13:1 is another emotion I often feel:
How long, O Eternal One? How long will You forget me? Forever?
How long will You look the other way?
Often we feel alone and abandoned in the world. When in reality we are never alone from God. I think the reason we feel alone is we pray for something and expect something to happen. When in reality, things happen much different, so when God does not match our expectations than God is forgetting us. I can point to more times that I have thought God was silent when the answer was different than what I expected.
Verse 14:1 is actually a warning to believers:
A wicked and foolish man truly believes there is no God.
They are vile, their sinfulness nauseating to their Creator;
their actions are soiled and repulsive; every deed is depraved;
not one of them does good.
We need to beware of engaging people who do not believe in God. Sure we need to spread the faith, but I have seen many who have found the engagements weaken their faith and cause problems. Jesus even sends His disciples in pairs. We should never engage the faithless without support, if not there at least a pastor to talk with afterwards.
So keep up the good fight, don’t be discouraged that God is not with you or that others are not following God firmly. The key is don’t fail on your walk!!