Studies in the Psalms - Psalm 69

Psalm 69 might be one for those who have suffered through the terrors of the recent hurricanes.

Psalm 69:1-2

Save me, O God, For the waters have threatened my life.  I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.

But it is also a psalm for any of us who have faced difficult times, especially in the relationships we have with others, sometimes even those we love most.

Psalm 69:3-4
I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God. Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies; What I did not steal, I then have to restore.

Friend, are you weary with crying? Turn to Jesus. He understands more than anyone else what this feels like. He was rejected and despised by His own people.

Psalm 69:7-9
Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Dishonor has covered my face.  I have become estranged from my brothers And an alien to my mother's sons.  For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

No matter what it is that has brought you to tears, the answer is found within the arms of Jesus. Though our sins be many, through Jesus, we can cry out to God in prayer.

Psalm 69:13-19
But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness, Answer me with Your saving truth.  Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink; May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters. May the flood of water not overflow me Nor the deep swallow me up, Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.  Answer me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good; According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,  And do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in distress; answer me quickly.  Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it; Ransom me because of my enemies!  You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor; All my adversaries are before You.

If you are hurting, pray through God’s Word. Pray boldly as you remember what Jesus went through on the cross so that we might seek our Father in Heaven. Notice the picture of Jesus on the cross in the next few verses.

Psalm 69:20-21
Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, And for comforters, but I found none.  They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

The psalmist goes on in a prayer for his enemies to be stricken by God from the Book of Life. Certainly, we can understand those prayers, yet because Jesus went to the cross and died for the very people who crucified Him, we can also turn our prayers into prayers of good for our enemies.

Psalm 69:29-33
But I am afflicted and in pain; May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.  I will praise the name of God with song And magnify Him with thanksgiving.  And it will please the LORD better than an ox Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.  The humble have seen it and are glad; You who seek God, let your heart revive.  For the LORD hears the needy And does not despise His who are prisoners.

You who seek God, let your heart revive. Because of Jesus, we can turn from sorrow to praise and thanksgiving. Again I say, pray through God’s word. Tell Him your needs. For the Lord hears the needy. The beginning of humility is confession of our own weakness.

Psalm 69:34-36
Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them.  For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, That they may dwell there and possess it.  The descendants of His servants will inherit it, And those who love His name will dwell in it.

Do you love the name of Jesus? If you do, then you can turn from your sorrows to a life of joy. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Those who love His name will dwell in the presence of God for all eternity. Take hope in the eternal life God has promised through Christ.