Psalm 12 - My Dad Said So



God, if there is one universal thing - from politicians to toddlers - it's that we lie. We deceive to gain an advantage or to get out of trouble. We exaggerate to look better or to make someone look worse. We hide the truth to not get caught. We flatter to make someone like us, and then we stab them in the back. And, we do all of this because, in our pride, we are most concerned about the triune kingdom of me, myself, and I.

God, in this psalm, you speak once.  But once is enough.  It's like a dad of a child who has been relentlessly maligned at school by bullies. Day after day, the child comes home and cries to his dad about the false accusations, how others have turned against him now, and how he now sits by himself at the lunch table as others snicker. And how, after weeks of this, this once energetic son can barely get out of bed in the morning to get ready for school.

And then, one morning, the dad tells him, "Son, I have hated having to watch what the lies of those boys have been doing to you. So today, I'm going to do something about it. You can trust me. I will make sure it no longer happens. You will be free from this abuse you've longed to be free from."

He doesn't know how his dad will do it, but he knows his dad's word is trustworthy. While the boys' words have been lie after lie, he knows his dad's word is true. It's as good as done.  

And as his dad scoops his boy up into his arms, carrying him to school, a smile appears on his face because the son knows life will be different from this day forward.  

Lord, in a world full of lies that hurt, threaten, deceive, mislead, malign, and abuse others, thank you for caring deeply for the maligned. You have said that you see. You have said that you hear their cries. And you have said that one day you will "arise" and have the last word.

Amen

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