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“Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth!”  Psalm 12:1 NLT

What a heartfelt prayer from King David, who was genuinely fearful that Israel would not be fit to fulfill its God-given purpose, to provide the Messiah for the world. He knew that even with royal authority behind him, he could not turn the situation around himself.

Have you watched a news program recently? Have you had the same thoughts as David as he wrote the words of Psalm 12? He wasn’t the only one who despaired of the evil in his generation. Elijah thought he was the only faithful servant left after God used him to defeat the prophets of Baal. Micah also cried out, “The godly people have all disappeared; not one honest person is left on the earth.” Flip over to the New Testament, and it’s the same story. Paul told Timothy that everyone from the province of Asia had deserted him.

It is easy to think in terms of “all” and “everyone,” especially when you turn on the TV and see evidence of a world gone insane. Wrong is celebrated as right and is even put forth as normal and desirable. Citizens are killing each other as they go about their daily lives in numbers never seen before. As Christians, standing against the culture takes determination.

Paul was right when he said in 2 Timothy 3:12, “…everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil people and imposters will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.”

How shall we deal with all of this?

There is a Biblical recipe for the prevention of discouragement and wrong thinking. Paul writes in Philippians 4:8: “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” This doesn’t mean we blind ourselves to what is happening around us, only that there are higher things to allow our minds to dwell on.

You know, the faithful have not vanished from the earth. There are millions of Christians around the world. We and our small circle of friends are not the only ones left. Let us pray for one another that we will be able to think rightly and live victoriously despite the pressures of a world gone mad.

“Father, we admit our tendency to dwell on the negative and believe we are overwhelmed by evil. We know You are still in charge of world events, so we pray for Your help changing our focus and standing firm.”

For His Glory

Cherie Harbridge Williams
TRBC Women’s Life