Psalm 12:1
“Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.”
Have you ever been in a situation where you were forced to cry for help? A good friend of mine told me a story of a time when he was cutting tree branches to make some extra cash. He leaned his extension ladder against the tree, climbed to the top, reached up and cut a large branch. As soon as the branch was cut, the tree shifted and the ladder fell. Reacting quickly, he was able to grab another limb to keep himself from falling. However, he found himself hanging twenty five feet above the earth’s surface. Knowing he would not be able to remain there for long, he began to cry out for help. Sadly, no one could hear him and after his arm strength gave out, he was forced to let go and fall to the ground. Fortunately, he was not seriously hurt.
This Psalm is David’s cry for help. He is not hanging from a tree branch or going under for the third time. His cry for help is due to the fact that godliness seems to be on the decline. His nation is filled with people who are claiming to be followers of God. They keep the Sabbath, bring offerings to the Temple and even sing the Psalms, but their lives remain unchanged. Things have not changed so much since David’s day. People remain very religious. Every Sunday morning churches across our nation fill with with people who sing songs, give offerings, and remain unchanged.
How about you? Has your Christianity changed your living? Since you began walking with Jesus, have you changed the way you treat your spouse, your children, your parents, you neighbors and your co-workers? Or do you just enjoy a good sermon and some contemporary worship music? When I look around, my heart cries out like David’s because, although church attendance may be on the rise, it seems that the godly men are decreasing.
Let’s determine today to be those who not only profess faith in Christ, but live it.
Pastor Jim
Psalm 12
- As we grow we learn that sticks and stones don’t hurt nearly as much as unkind words. How did the loose tongue seem to affect David? How is it affecting you?
- In contrast, how does He describe the Word of God?
- Take a few moments to write your own praise of the Word of God.
Jim Gallagher 
Every time I come across Psalm 12:1 I remember Kay telling me the story of a church service in one of Chuck’s early pastorates. She was seated at the piano before the service began and there wasn’t another man—other than Chuck in the building. That’s the verse that came to her mind and she said she asked the Lord not let that happen ever again, but to bring them just a few godly men. A prayer of faith that God answered exceeding abundantly beyond what she asked or thought.
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Reblogged this on Jim Gallagher.
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I just listened to a podcast from Craig Groeschel where he said some people have enough Jesus to make them feel better about themselves, but not enough Jesus to change them. Profound statement. Much like people going to the gym to get fit but not losing one pound. They feel better about eating cake, but never stop eating cake. 🙂 Love your blogs!
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