Category Archives: Psalm 69

In the Time of Your Favor

12 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by in Psalm 69, Psalms

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Reading:                                       Psalm 69

Verses 13-18

But I pray to you, LORD,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.

Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes (NIV).

Reflection

I have a confession to make and here it is: I don’t understand God.

Maybe a better way of putting this is to say that I have a limited understanding of God. Yes, I have studied a lot about God, and I have written a lot about Him, but my understanding is small—miniscule beside an all-knowing God of infinite wisdom.

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Prairie Frost—photo by Donald Adam

In particular I do not understand God’s timing. When I pray, I want prompt answers. I run my life by a clock and a schedule, but God seems quite unimpressed by my propensity for planning. He’s been known to show up when I least expect Him. Furthermore, when I desperately want Him to put in an appearance, He usually keeps me waiting.

He’s like a bad date. Speaking of a date, dear God, is that answer I want coming tomorrow, next week or next year?

I’m in good company. David seemed to have the same problem with God. Hear his plea, “But I pray to you, LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.“

There’s one thing I know. Amazing things happen in the time of God’s favor. So like David, I’ll call out to Him. I’ll wait for Him. He is well worth waiting for, because when the LORD shows up everything changes. I change; the world changes.

Response: LORD God, favor me. Show up in your perfect timing. I need you now. I need you always. You know best. Answer me with your sure salvation. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you sometimes get impatient with God?

Zeal for Your House

05 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by in Psalm 69, Psalms

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Reading:                                           Psalm 69

Verses 6-12

Lord, the LORD Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.

 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards. (NIV).

Reflection

The start of a new year is a time when many of us set goals and consider our progress over the past year. Our personal goals spring from those things we value and hold dear. So what did David, the author of this psalm, value and hold dear? According to his own words, David was motivated by his zeal for the house of God. He longed to be in God’s presence and to seek His face. He placed his love for God ahead of his love for even his family.

Ashley River Baptist Church

Ashley River Baptist Church, Charleston, SC – photo by David Kitz

I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children; for zeal for your house consumes me…

Many of us would call that misplaced zeal, even fanaticism. But Jesus called for precisely this kind zeal from his disciples.  

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).

After Jesus cleansed the temple, his disciples recalled the words from this psalm. His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me” (John 2:17).

Response: LORD God, give me a zeal for your house and your presence. As the year unfolds, I want my values to be reflected in my actions and my passion for you. Replace my lukewarm heart with a burning desire to know and love you. Amen.

Your Turn: Where does the house of God rate on your zeal meter?

My Guilt Is Not Hidden From You

29 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by in Psalm 69, Psalms

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Reading:                                           Psalm 69

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

Verses 1-5

Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.
Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.

You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you (NIV).

Reflection

Above all else Psalm 69 is a plea for help. Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

D Adam Landestreu Cem

Future Site of a Mass Resurrection, Landestreu Cemetery, Landestreu, SK — photo by Donald Adam

Have you ever been neck deep in trouble? I’ve been there and it’s not an entirely pleasant experience. I can recall hanging upside down in my car, which was sitting on its roof in a snow-covered ditch. My wife was suspended upside down in the driver’s seat beside me.

Suddenly finding yourself upside down after a high-speed-icy skid can be unsettling. I recall unfastening my seatbelt so I could reverse my position and sit upright on the interior of the car roof. Opening the car doors was impossible due to the snow jammed up on the outside. There we sat, car tires in the air, as the sun began to set.

We had two life lines: a mobile phone and a direct line to Jesus. Both worked flawlessly. Within minutes a young couple helped us out of the car. Later that evening we drove our flipped car back into the city undamaged. There was nothing to indicate we were in a rollover, not even a scratch on the car body.

This true account serves as a reminder to me that God hears us when we pray. When we are in over our head—when we are neck deep and beyond—we can call out to God.

God did not save us because we are faultless. As the psalmist says, “You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you.” God saves us because of His great mercy.

Response: LORD God, thank you for showing us mercy when we don’t deserve it. Thank you for coming to rescue the likes of me. Amen.

Your Turn: Has the Lord helped you when you were neck deep in trouble?