Safeguarded for Battle

“You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man” (Psalm 12:7-8, ESV).

When we read that “on every side the wicked prowl,” the image is of Satan, of whom Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Forces of evil are at work against us. They oppose the church and entire nations. They also work against the wellbeing of our family, health, mental state, and most especially our spiritual life. 

Today, we see Satan prowling through our culture and institutions, exalting vile practices that only a few years ago were socially unacceptable. Dark things done in secret are now boasted about in public. Sadly, I see this in the church as well. For decades, the liberal church has allowed practices that cause the godly to anguish. Now, similar practices are creeping into the evangelical church, compromising the Word of God. 

The apostle Paul had to deal with this in the church at Corinth. A young man in the congregation was sleeping with his stepmother, and church leaders weren’t bringing correction. What was happening in that church called for more correction; however, it involved spiritual warfare. To contend for the faith, Paul demanded church discipline and, at the same time, pointed out the prevalent cultural norms spreading through the church.  

David addressed what we should do when we find ourselves in a battle with the culture. In verse 7, he spoke for all of us facing warfare from the surrounding culture and our own personal anguish. “You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever” (Psalm 12:7).

This is a powerful word for a generation under warfare. David responded, in essence, “Lord, guard us from the feeling of ‘defeat.’ Let us not be overcome by it. Your word and your promises are true. Guard our minds so that we won’t believe the lies Satan throws at us and instead believe you will keep us.” We live in a generation in which wickedness prowls and vileness is exalted, yet it is also a generation in which God’s promises endure with power for victory. 

^{This devotional has been adapted from Gary Wilkerson’s book, The Altar of Our Hearts: An Expository Devotional on the Psalms.}