Psalm 12
The World is a Mess. But God is With Us.
Lies
According to research,
By age four, 90% of children have learned how to lie.
According to a 2002 study, 60% of adults can’t have a ten minute conversation without lying at least once.
86% of us lie to our parents regularly, 75% of us to our friends, 73% of us to our brothers and sisters, and 69% of us to our spouses.
We lie mostly about things “we think will make us look better or more likeable.”
but
“Sometimes we lie about things that matter. According to one estimate, 40% of people lie on their resumes.
According to a study by Scientific American, 90% of people looking for a date online lie in their profile.
Women claim to weigh about 4 kg less than they actually do.
Men, lie, that they are taller, richer, and better educated than they actually are.” http://mentalfloss.com/article/30609/60-people-cant-go-10-minutes-without-lying
We might think of this as funny
As the old adage goes, “it’s funny because it’s true”
But living in a society where lying is so common is not very funny.
The Psalmist says it this way:
Psalm 12
For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.
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?”
This has been quite a week
Murder
Friday, September 2
“The Wichita Falls Times Record News reports Lauren Landavazo and Makayla Smith, both 13 years old, were shot Friday afternoon while walking home from their middle school.
Landavazo was killed. Police say Smith is in stable condition at a hospital.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lauren-landavazo-texas-teen-shot-dead-friend-wounded-walking-home-from-middle-school-kody-lott-arrested
The perpetrator claimed he was directed by satan to kill the girls.
Last Weekend, September 2, 3 & 4 Labor Day Weekend in the US
“Thirteen people were shot to death over the Labor Day weekend in Chicago, making it the deadliest holiday weekend of one of the deadliest summers the city has experienced in decades.
The police department also said the 13 were among 43 people who were shot over the weekend. Among those was a pregnant woman who delivered a nearly full-term baby after she was shot in the abdomen. The woman, whom police say was not the intended target, was listed in critical condition Tuesday. The infant's condition has not been released” http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/wounded-woman-delivers-baby-chicago-shooting-41889596
Wednesday, September 7
(from the New York Times)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — As rebel negotiators unveiled a new plan on Wednesday for a political transition in Syria, doctors in the city of Aleppo were still treating people in intensive care after an attack believed to involve the use of chlorine gas sickened more than 120 people, including 10 women and 37 children.
At least two people died in the attack, which witnesses said was carried out by government forces in the rebel-held section of Aleppo http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/world/middleeast/syria-attack-peace-plan.html?_r=0
Friday, September 9
Ruffians, unhappy with the Supreme Court’s just decision that water should be shared among states for the well being of all, used the turmoil as an excuse for violence. One man was found dead at a bus stand in Mysore. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/live-karnataka-bandh-largely-peaceful-barring-a-few-stray-incidents/article9086561.ece
Saturday, September 10
Yesterday North Korea tested a nuclear bomb, causing an earthquake 5.3 on the Rictor Scale
http://www.janes.com/article/63579/north-korea-conducts-its-fifth-and-possibly-largest-nuclear-test
Of course, the US, which has thousands of nuclear bombs, protested.
Today is September 11
And America remembers the day.
The US President, Barak Obama declared today a national day of prayer and service
In his official announcement he said:
“United by a common creed, a commitment to lifting up our neighbors, and a belief that we are stronger when we stand by one another, we must find the courage to carry forward the legacy of those who stepped up in our time of need. By devoting ourselves to each other and recognizing that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves just as heroic patriots did on September 11 we are paying tribute to their sacrifices. On this National Day of Service and Remembrance, we must ensure that darkness is no match for the light we shine by engaging in acts of service and charity. I invite all Americans to observe this day with compassionate and selfless deeds that embody the values that define our people” . . . Barak Obama
I remember where I was September 11, 2001. I was scheduled to fly out that night from Bangalore to California. I was trying to get a few hours sleep before the midnight flight. My wife came in to wake me and said “Ken, I don’t know what’s happening. Something terrible. Come and see”. I went down to where the television was, and we all watched as the second plan careened into the second of the twin towers of the World Trade center. It was clearly no accident. About three thousand people died that day. But I think most people don’t think of the dozen or so hate-filled men who did the work of the enemy of our souls that day. We think of the over three hundred police and firemen who died, because rushed into the burning buildings to save those they could. They gave their lives so others could live.
We think of the small team on flight 93. United Flight 93 was hijacked just a few minutes after takeoff. Hijackers killed the pilot and copilot and told passengers they had a bomb. Passenger, Todd Beamer, was a software account manager at Oracle. He was on the flight, and was able to use the airplane phone. They were able to determine that other flights had been hijacked, two had flown into the Twin Towers. They also figured their flight was targeting the White House or Congress. Todd and 11 other passengers and crew decided to storm the cockpit. They knew they had no hope for survival. They were determined their flight not be used to destroy more lives. They joined in praying the Lord’s Prayer, and recited Psalm 23. When they were ready, Todd said the words his wife later used as the title of her book honoring him, “Let’s Roll”. A few minutes later the 757 jet plunged into a field in Pennsylvania at roughly 1,000 kilometers per hour, instantly killing everyone on board. No one else was injured. Those passengers almost certainly saved the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands of people.
In the midst of the darkest time, when the world is at its bleakest, God calls us to be children of the Light and children of the Day. He calls us to be the Truth when all around us are lies. He calls us to be courage, when everyone cowers in fear. He calls us to give our lives so others might live, just as Jesus did.
We return to Psalm 12:
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.
