Lord God Almighty,
When iniquity abounds and evil parades without shame, When the bold grow bolder in sin, and the faithful grow fewer by the hour, When truth is mocked, and love grows cold, I cry to You.
“Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). “The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men” (Psalm 12:8, NIV).
Where are the faithful, O Lord? Help, for the godly are vanishing from the earth. Virtue is mocked. Holiness is despised. Men love darkness more than light (John 3:19). And yet, we believe You see it all.
“Help, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man” (Psalm 12:1).
Is not the chariot of Your judgment hastening on? Have You not given the sign? The earth groans. Creation waits. And Your people look to the sky, longing for the day You rise. You have promised. We trust.
“Now I will arise,” says the Lord, “Now I will lift Myself up; now I will be exalted” (Isaiah 33:10). “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs” (Psalm 12:5).
We take refuge in Your promise, Lord. We live on it, breathe it, cry it out through tears. Though justice is delayed, it is not denied. Though wickedness reigns for a season, Your righteousness shall stand forever. “Forever, O Lord, Your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89).
Let us not waver, even now. Let us be those who wait with oil in our lamps, Who tremble at Your Word and hold fast in the midnight hour.
“The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6).
You have tested and tried Your people refined us through fire. The furnace has been hot, the battle long, but Your grace sustains. Men may fail, but You remain. You are not like them. You do not lie, and You do not forget. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness…” (2 Peter 3:9).
So come, Lord. Rise as You said. Scatter the oppressors. Crush the schemes of the proud. Defend the weak. Exalt the humble. Make Your justice thunder across the earth. “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; Let those who hate Him flee before Him” (Psalm 68:1).
We trust You, O God of truth. Those who confide in You will not be disappointed. You are our shield. You are our hope. Keep us in the hour of testing. Preserve us from this crooked generation. Raise up voices of virtue. Strengthen the remnant.
“For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face” (Psalm 11:7). “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever” (Psalm 125:1).
Yes, Lord, arise And set Your servant free.
Amen.