You know that David’s song is evoked by a certain period of time. But as you read it over a couple of times, you also know it has to be prophetic of a future time.

It could have been written as a reflection of what it was like for David, God’s king-elect, when he was pursued by Saul, God’s king-reject, and what seemed like the entire Israeli nation. But the opening words of the psalm sound like they could have been written today amidst our crumbling culture. I remember once hearing someone say that paranoia is just smart thinking when everyone’s against you, but the songwriter reminds us that “Help!” is just smart praying when everything’s coming apart around you.

Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts, those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

(Psalm 12:1-4 ESV)

Save. That seems to be a pretty literal translation. Most other translations render it simply, Help!

As David is pursued, as his enemies seem many and his allies seem few, as the whole world seems increasingly intent on silencing his voice and removing him from contention for the throne, David prays a 9-1-1 prayer, “Help, LORD!” The godly are gone. The faithful have vanished. Fake news prevails as everyone utters lies. Flattery — literally, “slippery speech” — prevails. And hypocrisy, being double-hearted and two-faced, is the prevailing way of those among whom David was once felt a part. Help!

Ours is a culture which is increasingly godless. And faithfulness? Well faithfulness and loyalty to almost anything else has been supplanted by being only “true to yourself.” Truth is bankrupt in so many quarters as any transcendent ties to an objective basis for truth have been severed. Institutional authority is increasingly cast off as we refuse to be mastered by anyone or anything other than ourselves. And ourselves is increasingly defined by our lips and our words as we paint the picture of our truth on the canvas of social media. David’s time might well be a foreshadow of our time, aka the end times.

So whaddya gonna pray when godliness is gone and faithfulness a thing of the past? Yup . . . you got it . . . one word. “Help!”

And David’s song assures us that God hears that prayer.

“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.

(Psalm 12:5-7)

God is not unaware of our post-modern, post-Christian, post-truth, post-post age. He hears the groans, and He says there is a day when “I will now arise.”

What’s more, safety is assured because the words of the LORD are pure words — they are faithful and true. In an age when everything else seems corrupt, God’s promises are like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. When faithfulness has vanished among men, God is faithful and will keep His word, fulfill His promises, and guard us from this generation forever. We pray, “Help”, He responds, “He am I.”

David would survive Saul’s persistent pursuit. More than that, he would thrive as he continually drew near to the LORD while continually being on the run from everyone else. He found high roads to walk (think of how he repeatedly spared Saul’s life, 1Samuel 24, 26), even as he trusted in the LORD to direct his path.

Sometimes it just comes down to a one word prayer, “Help!”

“Call to Me and I will answer you.”

(Jeremiah 33:3a ESV)

According to His all-sufficient and all-prevailing grace. Only for His all-deserving glory.

Even so, come Lord Jesus.