Psalm 14 Devotional

Not Even One Seeks Him

“The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.”Psalm 14:2 (BSB)

Psalm 14 begins with the fool, who has decided in his heart that there is no God (14:1). But the problem is not limited to a few. The LORD looks down from heaven to see whether anyone understands or seeks him, and he finds that all have turned aside. No one does good, not one (14:2-3). Paul draws on these lines to show that everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, stands guilty before God (Romans 3:10-12).

That is a hard diagnosis, and the psalm does not water it down. But it does not end there. God is present with the righteous (14:5), and he is the refuge of the poor whose plans the wicked try to crush (14:6). The final verse longs for salvation to come out of Zion and for God to restore his people (14:7). If no one seeks God on their own, then any rescue must start with him. That is what the gospel announces: God sought out people who were not seeking him. Being found by him begins with admitting how far we had wandered.

To think about: Where do you see in yourself the turning aside this psalm describes, and how does it change your prayer to know that rescue starts with God?