Psalm 53, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on the sons to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God ... Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
David paints the picture of a community absent of God (a community who chooses to alienate the rule of God in their lives). Corruption abounds, people eat each other up, "there is no one who does good." Such was the frustration of David. For he knows the end of them who neglect the rule of God--utter destruction. In his frustration, David conjures a prayer from the depths of his heart, "O, that salvation would come out of Zion!" O how we sigh in desperation for righteousness to start from somewhere, but sometimes we often negate our enabled power to change the things around us. I say enabled for we cannot make an impact in our sphere of influence much less affect our own human nature. We need enablement by the One who gives strength, who instructs us to wait (Is 40:31, Acts 1:8). As people living in the age of grace, we know David's prophetic prayer had come to pass, indeed salvation had come out of Zion through Jesus Christ. Through Christ's work on the cross, redemption has been made possible. People who were despised, scattered and put to shame, now find new meaning under the shadow of the cross. The challenge for us, however, is coming out ourselves to the corrupt and hurting world, out of the comforts of our church pews, and out of the visage that everything is okay. Because the world is not okay. People are hurting and dying by the minute without the saving knowledge of Christ's love for them. David's prayerful cry echoes until today, "Oh, that salvation for the world would come out of the redeemed!" In our celebration of healing and redemption, may we find the in hearts the discontent that we experience abundant life while others are still out there, wandering, grasping for someone who can lead them to the Light. May we be that salvation through whom they see Jesus.