At times everything looks bleak. I appreciate the words written by David as he shared his raw frustrations when the world went dark. Here’s an example:

Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.

David endured empty flattery, endless boasting and wicked sharp tongues in those around him, with no end in sight. Proximity to power draws out the worst as people vie for a piece of the action. David watched this play out before him and grew despondent.

In his exasperation, David turned to the Lord. He contrasted the speech of the vile with the words of God:

The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.

Trapped in a circus of posturing and arguing, the cacophony of jealous advisors and untiring critics, David pulled out his scrolls and allowed the solid, enduring words of scripture to calm his heart and ease his mind.

Flawless. David returned again and again to God’s word. Remarkably, the same words on David’s scrolls fill the Bible on my desk. Plus more wisdom from David himself and the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the world goes dark, it’s good to know where to find a source of light.

Psalm 12 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Viktor Talashuk