Psalm 69:13-21
13 But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. [1]
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What struck me in this section of the psalm is the appeal to the Lord’s great love and favor in verses 13 and 16. David certainly isn’t experiencing the love and favor of the Lord, yet he confidently appeals to it. He knows that the Lord is aware of his desperate situation, and calls on Him to help him in his trouble.
What struck me in this is the simple fact that it is the Lord’s love that forms the basis and the hope of our help in Him. We don’t need to try to bargain with the Lord, to try to make a deal with Him, or to butter up our appeal with promises of increased devotion or service. We simply appeal to His love. By faith, we rely on it even when we can find little evidence of it in the middle of the trouble we’re experiencing.
As New Testament people, the basis of our confidence in the Lord’s love is the event to which this Psalm ultimately points. Verse 21 takes our thoughts right to the cross, as this verse was applied to the treatment Jesus received in His suffering. Our Lord lived the agony described in this Psalm, but on a cosmic eternal scale, taking the abuse of the full force of the enemy, taking on Himself all the scorn and disgrace.
I may be going through hard time in which I have to look real hard to see the Lord’s love. But when I look to the cross, I see the indisputable evidence of God’s eternal love for me. And in the resurrection I see the ultimate victory that is mine despite the brokenness that currently surrounds me. I think of Romans 8:32 – “ He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
So my prayer today is for faith to rest secure in the unshakeable love of my God for me. I am also praying for those known to me who are going through difficult times right now, who are experiencing Psalm 69, that they would be strengthened in their faith to trust in the love of Christ to carry them through their troubles.
What is the Word leading you to pray about today?
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[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Ps 69:13–21). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
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