In the fall of next year, I will have a new book coming out on the Psalms. It will cover the first 41 Psalms in the Psalter. This is an excerpt. When it is ready, it will be one of the most unique books on the Psalms ever compiled (I hope). Part reflection, part poetry, part translation, part commentary, but prayerfully, it will be an encouragement to the saints and a glory to God.
Read Psalm 12
Psalm 12 Occasion and Commentary: December 15, 2015, Resilience is the ability to thrive under pressure, as Tolkien says through the character of Elrond, “There is no strength left in the world of men.” (The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien) and repeats through Gandalf, “All we get to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.”
Resilience is the ability to thrive under pressure. I have seen some remarkable examples of resilience in life. Double amputees overcoming the loss of both legs to resume life with gusto; girls with MS running (and winning) races and collapsing into coaches arms at the finish line. And then there is that moss covered rock in the picture that accompanied this reflection when it first appeared on my blog (ChosenRebel.me).
It was fluorescent green, bathed in sunlight. For between 12-16 hours a day, 365 days a year, that mossy rock was under at least 12 feet of ocean salt water in Acadia, Maine. For a good part of the year, it was under 4-6 feet of ice. And yet, the moss clinging to the rock was resilient. It persisted. Despite all that it endured, it grew and thrived. Cut off from light, under the weight of several tons of briny water, the moss would cling to the rock and continue to endure. It was a remarkable picture of resilience. That kind of resilience in Americans is becoming harder and harder to find. We are becoming a far less resilient people with each passing generation.
But that kind of resilience or perseverance is what David is aiming at in Psalm 12 when he cries out to God for salvation. He feels alone. The godly and faithful ones have vanished. He is surrounded by the mouths of flatterers he knows he can’t trust. And so he cries out for rescue, and God answers. This psalm is rooted in the dirty, earthy, mess of the “children of men” (cf. vs 1, 8). This is a reality check psalm. It begins in a harrowing situation and ends with “the wicked prowling” on every side.
But in the middle of the mess, in the middle of the psalm is the hope of the righteous. God will arise (vs. 5), place in safety (vs. 5b), keep and guard (vs. 7) those who are His. Hope belongs to the one who in the midst of pain, and sorrow, and heartache, and fear, and the wicked choices of others clings to the “pure words” of YHWH (vs. 6). Resilience comes from trusting in the ONE who is always faithful. Resilience comes when we decide to trust Him in the time that we are given.
