As the new year dawns

The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.” The Lord’s promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever... (Psalm 12:5-7)

The oppressed cry out - the Lord hears and answers. This has been the plight of civilization from the beginning of time. Mankind gets off-kilter, God intervenes to restore balance once again. What does it mean to be 'oppressed' as it is used in this passage? It is important to see that God doesn't mind when we 'complain' to him about our plight - having encountered evil on every side, feeling a little bit persecuted, or maybe even a little like they need to be 'vindicated' in some manner. God is attentive to our circumstances, even when it seems like evil is prevailing.

Deceit almost always begins its inroad through 'flattering' and 'misleading' words. Compared to the way God deals with us with absolute truth, evil should not be hard to spot and avoid. Deceptive men will always attempt to abuse or misuse honest men. It is in their nature to bring such oppression upon those who are not buying into their flattery and lies. God's word is always true and equally dependable. When all the world seems to be spouting lies and promoting deceit, we can rely upon the 'steadiness' and 'consistency' of his word. It will never mislead us, nor will it evil be able to stand against it!

The Lord's promises - we must get to know them if we are to stand upon them. We must be so acquainted with truth that when any manner of deception is bantered around, we recognize its source and reject it completely. So many times, we depend upon another to 'feed us' his word, but God asks us to make inroads into his truth on our own. Too many cannot stand against what they 'suspect' to be deceit all because they have no assurance of what is actually true. The more you get into God's word, and it gets into you, the more you will have a sure foundation upon which to stand when all around is crumbling under the weight of oppressive evil.

His promises are pure, refined and refining. There is no better counterattack to untruth of any sort than to know and stand upon truth in its entirety. Perhaps as the new year dawns upon us, we will commit to our time in his word, and allow his word to become an important part of each and every day of our year. Just suggesting...