Daily Devotional For Thursday, May 7, 2026
Good morning and good day Southside! Today’s reading in the One Year Chronological Bible comes from the Psalms. Today’s reading includes us reading Psalms 12-21. So, from all of these Psalms, I have selected Psalm 12:1, “Help, O LORD, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth!” (NLT). Have you ever felt this way spiritually? That you were spiritually alone, isolated and all out there by yourself? David felt that way. I know I have felt that way. Old Testament scholar James Johnston share this story of being alone:
“HAVE YOU EVER FELT ALL ALONE? Really alone? I have never felt more alone than when I walked into a hotel lobby in Budapest, Hungary in April 1999. I had been visiting missionaries in Eastern Europe and was spending the night in Budapest before flying home. That spring, American and NATO warplanes were bombing Yugoslavia to prevent ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Many Yugoslavian Serbs fled with their families to escape the bombing. A large number ended up in neighboring countries like Hungary and Romania. As we pulled into our small hotel, I noticed that all the cars in the parking lot had Yugoslavian license plates! Sure enough, the lobby was filled with families who had fled to Hungary for safety. I was one American surrounded by almost a hundred Serbians—and we were bombing their country. I have never felt so vulnerable and so alone” (Source: James Johnston, Preaching the Word: The Psalms: Rejoice, the Lord Is King—Psalms 1 to 41, p. 133).
In 1968, Harry Nilsson, former singer with the Monkees, released a song that resonated with America – “One Is The Loneliest Number.” Remember it? I certainly do and I think the reason it was such a hit is that many people could relate to the feeling of being alone. When David wrote Psalm 12, he felt alone, isolated and by himself. In Psalm 11, the wicked were destroying the very fabric of the foundations of his society.
Many Old Testament scholars feel David wrote Psalm 12 when Saul was pursuing him to kill him. Here he was God’s next anointed king over Israel feeling alone. I can only imagine how David may have felt or the questions that went through his mind such as, “Lord, You had Samuel anoint me as the next king. I will do nothing to harm or oppose Saul. You anointed him as king and it is up to You to deal with him. But why is he trying to kill me? Everything I have done proves I love him and support and that I am no threat to him. Why Lord?”
If you have read the story of the issues between Saul and David, you know that Saul repeatedly lied to his leaders about how David was a threat. The truth is the Bible tells us that Saul was jealous and envious of how much the people loved David and sang his praises after God helped him kill Goliath. Remember this 1 Samuel 18:7, “The women sang as they played, and said, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’ (NASB).
Not only did David feel alone, our Lord did in His life also. Remember Jesus’ words from the cross in Matthew 27:46, “About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (NASB). In verse 1, David used the word “faithful.” When we read this we tend to think that faithfulness is adhering to the right doctrine and staying true to the faith. The Bible tells us this in Jude 3, “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (NASB). Here, being faithful refers to keeping the biblical truth handed down to us.
But in Psalm 12, David uses this word differently. Old Testament scholar John Goldingay writes this about the Hebrew word David uses here: “Faithful ones steadfastly keep their commitments” (Source: John Goldingay, “Psalms,” Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, p. 197). Therefore, when we keep our commitments made to God, we are being faithful to God. David kept his commitment he had made to God about honoring and serving Saul. David met a lot of people who said all the right things but their lives and actions did not match.
We can be conservatively orthodox in our theology and our lives make us the poster child of sin and disobedience. When God sent the prophet Samuel to confront King Saul for his disobedience with the Amalakites, Saul made excuses and got defensive. God said these words through the prophet to Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices; As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. (23) ‘For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king’” (NASB).
Many times we feel alone because either it’s due to standing for the Lord or because of our own sin. David saw the lies in people's words. That is his point in Psalm 12:2, “They speak falsehood to one another; With flattering lips and with a double heart they speak” (NASB). I quote Old Testament James Johnston again:
“As a church, nothing will destroy our relationships more quickly than lies. When Christians are dishonest with each other, they tear apart the Body of Christ. Deceit breeds distrust. Distrust leads to division. This is why the Scriptures clearly say, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Eph. 4:25). If we want to live together in love and unity, we must be people of truth” (Source: James Johnston, Preaching the Word: The Psalms: Rejoice, the Lord Is King—Psalms 1 to 41, p. 135).
Reflection Assignment: Do you ever feel alone spiritually? If you do, which tends to be the main reason? – For doing the right godly thing by keeping your commitments to the Lord or is it because of your sin? David did everything right for the Lord and he still felt alone, alienated and isolated. What does this tell you? If you need to repent, what is it for in your life?
Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 27:10, “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Lord help me to remember I am never alone. You are always with me wherever I go. When my sense of aloneness comes from my own sin, convict me to repent. When my aloneness comes from keeping my commitment to You, give me the determination not to quit. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly