The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good.
The LORD looks down from heaven
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,
any who seek God.
All have turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.
Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on the LORD.
But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
for God is present in the company of the righteous.
You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is their refuge.
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
We live in a terrible world. But you don’t need me to tell you that. Everywhere we look, we see the face of evil. Selfishness. Sickness. Strife. Slander. Disease. Dishonesty. Backbiting. Bitterness. Gossip. Murder. Theft. Adultery. The list goes on.
This isn’t how God created the world to be. He created a place of peace and joy where we would live in harmony with each other and with God. However, humanity’s sinfulness ruined this. And God’s people — those who try to stay faithful to his ways — are most affected by the evil around them.
However, there is hope. “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!” David cried (Psalm 14:7). David’s cry was prophetic because salvation did come out of Zion, and it wasn’t for Israel alone but for the entire world. A little over two thousand years ago, God sent his only Son to bring salvation to humankind and with him the hope of a restored world.
We can help in this restoration by turning away from our wicked ways. Sin is universal “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). However, if sin is universal, grace is universally available, “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
Let us accept the grace of God and live in the fullness of life, restoring not only ourselves but also the world in which we live.
God be with you.