A meditation on forgiveness inspired by Psalm 12.

O Lord, my God,

I am desperate for your truth!

Is no one honest anymore?

Whichever way I turn, I am assaulted by liars.

Greedy for control, they pervert what is true and right.

They grind justice and integrity into dust beneath their heels.

I fear the sly ones,

those who exploit my vanity and target my anxieties.

Would that my God would cut off their flattering lips

before they can sell me on an overblown image of myself.

Would that He would silence their maligning tongues

that shame me into believing I am too damaged to be loved.

As hard as I search for honest reflection, I cannot find it—

not in my neighbor, not even in the words I hear myself speak.

We are all of us desperate,

a people lost in a sea of deceptions,

at the mercy of the father of lies.

He teases and tempts us with false promises

and tells us we have no need for a sovereign God.

Loving Father, I need your help!

Give me wisdom to separate your truth from the lies that confront me.

Give me faith to trust in your promise of rescue,

for I know that your promises are true,

as pure as precious silver refined seven times in the fire.

Banish these lies from my lips, O my God,

and every evil thought from my deceitful heart.

Make me pure and good like Jesus.

Recast my character to be upright and generous,

an oasis of honesty and a haven of rest for others who struggle like me,

desperate for light and truth in a confusing world.

Protect your people who seek you with sincere hearts.

Help us to stand firm and true

against the glittering lies the world exalts,

that we may glorify You who are truth and life.