1 Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore;
those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2 Everyone lies to their neighbor;
they flatter with their lips
but harbor deception in their hearts.
3 May the LORD silence all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue—
4 those who say,
“By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”
5 “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the LORD.
“I will protect them from those who malign them.”
6 And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold refined seven times.
7 You, LORD, will keep the needy safe
and will protect us forever from the wicked,
8 who freely strut about
when what is vile is honored by the human race.
Psalm 12
My lament begins and ends with a plea to the Lord, the source of truth, the embodiment of truth, the One who requires those who would follow Him to stand for truth.
Jesus, on His last night before facing betrayal and death, didn't allow the pressures and the politics surrounding Him to alter His grasp on True Truth.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come." John 16:13
"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." John 17:17
But today, even among the people who are called by His name, True Truth is a scarce commodity.
God's people appear more devoted to their daily scroll through their social media feeds than to their daily discipline of meditating on the Word. Tweeting and commenting and sharing memes without ceasing have overtaken prayer as the constant companion of the Christian.
In the late 20th Century we were warned by our preachers and teachers and thinkers about the creeping approach of Postmodernism as the dominant philosophy about life and truth. Just two decades into the new century, we've swallowed whole the lying lips of postmodernism. There's my truth and your truth, politically correct truth and politically expedient truth. Rather than the truth that passes understanding, we've embraced rumors and conspiracies that pass for truth, but are beyond the understanding of people who seek True Truth.
Where is True Truth to be found? How is it to be nurtured and trained? Where are the roots of truth?
1) God's truth will always be rooted in God's mission.
"Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise," says the Lord. "I will protect them from those who malign them." Psalm 12:5
Any version of truth that doesn't reflect the heart of God isn't God's truth. To seek God's truth, seek the work he has prepared for you to do.
2) God's truth has been tested and purified.
And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. Psalm 12:6
It doesn't change with the times, but it speaks truth into the postmodern world. It doesn't adapt to the slick lies of the enemies of God.
Lord, keep your people safe, keep your church focused on those who need your love and your help, rather than on themselves.
Hold us back from modeling ourselves after the wicked, freely strutting about with our endless opinions and contentious arguments defining who we are. Teach us to honor True Truth rather than constructing our own version of vile lies.
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