Psalm 12 begins with a dire description of a culture on the road to
ruin: “[T]he godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished
from the earth!” (12:1). In particular, the psalmist sees neighbors
lying to each other and violence done to the helpless (12:2, 5). “[T]he
wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land” (12:8). The
bonds that hold society together are being severed as people lose the
ability to determine right from wrong.

Sound familiar? Have you ever found yourself listening to the
evening news, thinking that the godly are disappearing and the faithful
have vanished from the earth? I know I have. For me, the worst of all is
when people I trust go bad. I don’t expect much from those who traffic
in violence and crime. I don’t even look to celebrities and athletes to
be exemplars of morality. But when trusted leaders are found to have
done terrible things, especially when those leaders are pastors or
priests, I sometimes feel despair saturating my soul.

When things seem to keep on getting worse, many people throw up
their hands in defeat. They figure they cannot make a difference in the
world, so they choose to live for themselves and their momentary
pleasures. Others sink into a pit of cynicism and negativity. Still
others find the moral resolve to try and fight back, to stand for
goodness in the face of mounting evil.

Scripture is clear that God’s people should be found in this last
group, those who try to make a positive difference. But Psalm 12:1
reminds us that our starting point should not be ourselves. When we see
life crumbling around us, our first response should be to cry out to
God: “Help, O Lord!” The Hebrew word translated in verse 1 as “help” is,
in fact, hoshi’a, the first part of the Hebrew expression we know as hosanna. Hoshi’a
can also be translated as “save.” It’s a cry for God’s assistance, a
recognition that God alone can save us from the mess we’re in.

After we turn to the Lord and seek his help, he may very well call
us to participate in his work of making things right again. But instead
of relying on our own strength, and instead of exhausting ourselves
trying to right every wrong, we will respond to God’s call to focus on a
particular need. Moreover, we will seek to address this need, to make
right what is wrong, by the power of God at work within us through the
Spirit.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Can you relate to
Psalm 12:1? When do you feel despair about the state of the world? What
do you do with your despair? Has God called you to be part of his
right-making effort in the world? If so, to what area of need has he
directed you?