Psalm 69:7-10, (11-15), 16-18 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 69:7-10, (11-15), 16-18 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7It is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face.
Verse 8I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother's children.
Verse 9It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
Verse 10When I humbled my soul with fasting, they insulted me for doing so.
Verse 11When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
Verse 12I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.
Verse 13But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. With your faithful help
Verse 14rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.
Verse 15Do not let the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me.
Verse 16Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Verse 17Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress-make haste to answer me.
Verse 18Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies.
Devotion
The Psalter is filled with psalms of thanksgiving and of lament in almost equal proportions. Life itself is filled with both. In this psalm the author is in trouble. “Where is your God?” is one question when tragedy strikes, coupled with the embarrassment of believing in an evidently powerless God. Perseverance in faith has exhausted this desperate psalmist.
When have you felt desperate? Have you ever had to stand up for your faith? In a freshman sociology class, a professor asked, “Are there any Jesus freaks in the classroom?” I didn’t like his description, but I also didn’t want to hide my faith for fear of ridicule.
“Rescue me from sinking” is a prayer we all may find on our lips at some point. Peter prayed it when he looked at the storm surrounding him on the Sea of Galilee. Keeping our eyes fixed upon the Lord reminds us that the “steadfast love of the Lord” is just that, steadfast! We can trust that we’re not alone in difficulty. Redemption is coming.
Prayer
Rescuing God, when I feel overwhelmed by life, and about to go under, reassure me that you will be my lifeline. Help me to answer my adversaries and my own anxieties like the psalmist with trusts in the faithful help that comes from the Lord. Amen.