More at - Up to My Neck in Rivers of Heck:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdzB3AIqh9Q&pp=0gcJCd4JAYcqIYzv
Reflections on Psalm 69
A prayer of a man sinking in the mud.
"You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you." - Psalm 69:5, NIV
I do not know your folly. I am not absolutely certain that I know my own.
God knows.
Some may consider this bad news.
I consider it liberating and the ground upon which grace can build a house of witness in my life and an altar of honest exchange between me and my Maker.
Only secrets can feed a dysfunctional system. None exist between God and me - none of mine and He is revealing Himself to me daily and as much as I can bear. No secrets, no pretense, no enabling of my wrongs.
God knows me and God loves me.
It passes through the filter of a knowledge of God's mercy:
"Your love is kind."
From Psalm 69
This has always been one of my favorite bible prayers. It has always provided me words to express my own heart in times when I could not find the right words myself.
It says what so many of us, so often, feel.
Even as it empowers us to reach into the darkness within our hearts, it encourages us to find hope and resolve.
Pray it. Don't just read it.
Pray it slowly, pausing over the phrases that will become your prayers for this day.
It is a thoroughly, reusable psalm that will give you new meaning and new expression each time you pray it.
At times, you will only need the first few words, "Save me, O God." And you may stop there.
Sometimes, it has been for me, "O God, you know my foolishness."
There have been moments when I have only mustered the strength to pray, "I have grown weary with my crying."
Often, I have prayed, “In your great mercy, O God, answer me with your unfailing help."
I never enjoy admitting that "shame has covered my face," but God knows, hears, and welcomes me though "my faults are not hidden from God."
The writer-singer-psalmist-petitioner has sought help and comfort from others, but only finds acceptance, assistance, and compassion in God.
God is swift to help in our distress.
One of my favorite prayers within this prayer has always been, "let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me."
It has been a prayer of mine in times of pain, suffering, discouragement, temptation, and trial. It has taken my mind away from an inward focus on my problems to the implication of my life and witness and its effect on others'. It has given purpose and meaning to my own struggles.
"I will proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving," is the cry of praise and the promise of hope for "the Lord listens to the needy...and his prisoners he does not despise."
Enjoy your prayer time.
---------------------------------
Psalm 69 (NRSV)
Salvum me fac
Save me, O God,
for the waters have risen up to my neck.
I am sinking in deep mire,
and there is no firm ground for my feet.
I have come into deep waters,
and the torrent washes over me.
I have grown weary with my crying;
my throat is inflamed;
my eyes have failed from looking for my God.
Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
my lying foes who would destroy me are mighty.
Must I then give back what I never stole?
O God, you know my foolishness,
and my faults are not hidden from you.
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, Lord GOD of hosts;
let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me, O God of Israel.
Surely, for your sake have I suffered reproach,
and shame has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my own kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.
Zeal for your house has eaten me up;
the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.
I humbled myself with fasting,
but that was turned to my reproach.
I put on sack-cloth also,
and became a byword among them.
Those who sit at the gate murmur against me,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
But as for me, this is my prayer to you,
at the time you have set, O LORD:
“In your great mercy, O God,
answer me with your unfailing help.
Save me from the mire; do not let me sink;
let me be rescued from those who hate me
and out of the deep waters.
Let not the torrent of waters wash over me,
neither let the deep swallow me up;
do not let the Pit shut its mouth upon me.
Answer me, O LORD, for your love is kind;
in your great compassion, turn to me.”
“Hide not your face from your servant;
be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
Draw near to me and redeem me;
because of my enemies deliver me.
You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
my adversaries are all in your sight.”
Reproach has broken my heart, and it cannot be healed;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I could find no one.
They gave me gall to eat,
and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.
[Let the table before them be a trap
and their sacred feasts a snare.
Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see,
and give them continual trembling in their loins.
Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let the fierceness of your anger overtake them.
Let their camp be desolate,
and let there be none to dwell in their tents.
For they persecute him whom you have stricken
and add to the pain of those whom you have pierced.
Lay to their charge guilt upon guilt,
and let them not receive your vindication.
Let them be wiped out of the book of the living
and not be written among the righteous.]
As for me, I am afflicted and in pain;
your help, O God, will lift me up on high.
I will praise the Name of God in song;
I will proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving.
This will please the LORD more than an offering of oxen,
more than bullocks with horns and hoofs.
The afflicted shall see and be glad;
you who seek God, your heart shall live.
For the LORD listens to the needy,
and his prisoners he does not despise.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and all that moves in them;
For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah;
they shall live there and have it in possession.
The children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his Name will dwell therein.
It culminates in praise:
Even the Seas Praise Him
"Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein." - Psalm 69:34
To borrow from a different season, my heart sings,
Joy to the world! The Lord has come!
Let earth receive her king.
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing!
(Isaac Watts)
Heaven and nature sing the glories and praise of God.
Look at the sky. It is praising God. The multitude and magnitude of the heavens form a symphony of adoration for the One who thought it all out, spoke it into existence, and maintains its order through the strength of His own resolve.
Earth praises God. Down to the atom, every mineral, every mountain, every blade of grass or leaf that falls from a tree sings the honor of His intricate design. Plant, animal, and human life testify to His genius and meticulous design.
The seas praise Him.
From surface to depth, the oceans are mysterious and possess overwhelming power. They have not been nor, can they be conquered, harnessed, nor tamed. We have yet to explore a fraction of what they possess. They form more of the surface area of this planet than all the land masses combined.
No human can survive at their deepest places. In their secret places, there is darkness and even that darkness praises God.
When the sea is quiet, He is praised.
When the storms rock the surface and the mighty ships are in peril, He is praised.
When we rest upon the shore and look out over the waves crashing on the beach, God is praised.
God of the seas! Thy thundering voice
Makes all the roaring waves rejoice,
And one soft word of Thy command
Can sink them silent in the sand.
(Isaac Watts)
If the heavens, earth, and sea praise God, let us also join them in praise.
#folly #Psalm69 #mercy #compassion #prayers #precatory #sinking #helpme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdzB3AIqh9Q&pp=0gcJCd4JAYcqIYzv
Reflections on Psalm 69
A prayer of a man sinking in the mud.
"You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you." - Psalm 69:5, NIV
I do not know your folly. I am not absolutely certain that I know my own.
God knows.
Some may consider this bad news.
I consider it liberating and the ground upon which grace can build a house of witness in my life and an altar of honest exchange between me and my Maker.
Only secrets can feed a dysfunctional system. None exist between God and me - none of mine and He is revealing Himself to me daily and as much as I can bear. No secrets, no pretense, no enabling of my wrongs.
God knows me and God loves me.
It passes through the filter of a knowledge of God's mercy:
"Your love is kind."
From Psalm 69
This has always been one of my favorite bible prayers. It has always provided me words to express my own heart in times when I could not find the right words myself.
It says what so many of us, so often, feel.
Even as it empowers us to reach into the darkness within our hearts, it encourages us to find hope and resolve.
Pray it. Don't just read it.
Pray it slowly, pausing over the phrases that will become your prayers for this day.
It is a thoroughly, reusable psalm that will give you new meaning and new expression each time you pray it.
At times, you will only need the first few words, "Save me, O God." And you may stop there.
Sometimes, it has been for me, "O God, you know my foolishness."
There have been moments when I have only mustered the strength to pray, "I have grown weary with my crying."
Often, I have prayed, “In your great mercy, O God, answer me with your unfailing help."
I never enjoy admitting that "shame has covered my face," but God knows, hears, and welcomes me though "my faults are not hidden from God."
The writer-singer-psalmist-petitioner has sought help and comfort from others, but only finds acceptance, assistance, and compassion in God.
God is swift to help in our distress.
One of my favorite prayers within this prayer has always been, "let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me."
It has been a prayer of mine in times of pain, suffering, discouragement, temptation, and trial. It has taken my mind away from an inward focus on my problems to the implication of my life and witness and its effect on others'. It has given purpose and meaning to my own struggles.
"I will proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving," is the cry of praise and the promise of hope for "the Lord listens to the needy...and his prisoners he does not despise."
Enjoy your prayer time.
---------------------------------
Psalm 69 (NRSV)
Salvum me fac
Save me, O God,
for the waters have risen up to my neck.
I am sinking in deep mire,
and there is no firm ground for my feet.
I have come into deep waters,
and the torrent washes over me.
I have grown weary with my crying;
my throat is inflamed;
my eyes have failed from looking for my God.
Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
my lying foes who would destroy me are mighty.
Must I then give back what I never stole?
O God, you know my foolishness,
and my faults are not hidden from you.
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, Lord GOD of hosts;
let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me, O God of Israel.
Surely, for your sake have I suffered reproach,
and shame has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my own kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.
Zeal for your house has eaten me up;
the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.
I humbled myself with fasting,
but that was turned to my reproach.
I put on sack-cloth also,
and became a byword among them.
Those who sit at the gate murmur against me,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
But as for me, this is my prayer to you,
at the time you have set, O LORD:
“In your great mercy, O God,
answer me with your unfailing help.
Save me from the mire; do not let me sink;
let me be rescued from those who hate me
and out of the deep waters.
Let not the torrent of waters wash over me,
neither let the deep swallow me up;
do not let the Pit shut its mouth upon me.
Answer me, O LORD, for your love is kind;
in your great compassion, turn to me.”
“Hide not your face from your servant;
be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
Draw near to me and redeem me;
because of my enemies deliver me.
You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor;
my adversaries are all in your sight.”
Reproach has broken my heart, and it cannot be healed;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I could find no one.
They gave me gall to eat,
and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.
[Let the table before them be a trap
and their sacred feasts a snare.
Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see,
and give them continual trembling in their loins.
Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let the fierceness of your anger overtake them.
Let their camp be desolate,
and let there be none to dwell in their tents.
For they persecute him whom you have stricken
and add to the pain of those whom you have pierced.
Lay to their charge guilt upon guilt,
and let them not receive your vindication.
Let them be wiped out of the book of the living
and not be written among the righteous.]
As for me, I am afflicted and in pain;
your help, O God, will lift me up on high.
I will praise the Name of God in song;
I will proclaim his greatness with thanksgiving.
This will please the LORD more than an offering of oxen,
more than bullocks with horns and hoofs.
The afflicted shall see and be glad;
you who seek God, your heart shall live.
For the LORD listens to the needy,
and his prisoners he does not despise.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and all that moves in them;
For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah;
they shall live there and have it in possession.
The children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his Name will dwell therein.
It culminates in praise:
Even the Seas Praise Him
"Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein." - Psalm 69:34
To borrow from a different season, my heart sings,
Joy to the world! The Lord has come!
Let earth receive her king.
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing!
(Isaac Watts)
Heaven and nature sing the glories and praise of God.
Look at the sky. It is praising God. The multitude and magnitude of the heavens form a symphony of adoration for the One who thought it all out, spoke it into existence, and maintains its order through the strength of His own resolve.
Earth praises God. Down to the atom, every mineral, every mountain, every blade of grass or leaf that falls from a tree sings the honor of His intricate design. Plant, animal, and human life testify to His genius and meticulous design.
The seas praise Him.
From surface to depth, the oceans are mysterious and possess overwhelming power. They have not been nor, can they be conquered, harnessed, nor tamed. We have yet to explore a fraction of what they possess. They form more of the surface area of this planet than all the land masses combined.
No human can survive at their deepest places. In their secret places, there is darkness and even that darkness praises God.
When the sea is quiet, He is praised.
When the storms rock the surface and the mighty ships are in peril, He is praised.
When we rest upon the shore and look out over the waves crashing on the beach, God is praised.
God of the seas! Thy thundering voice
Makes all the roaring waves rejoice,
And one soft word of Thy command
Can sink them silent in the sand.
(Isaac Watts)
If the heavens, earth, and sea praise God, let us also join them in praise.
#folly #Psalm69 #mercy #compassion #prayers #precatory #sinking #helpme
