Dave’s Monday Blast – October 11, 2021

In Psalm 69, David cries out: “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God” (v. 1 – 3).

Not the encouragement you were hoping for so far? It gets worse: “More in number than the hairs on my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies” (v.4). And even worse: “I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons” (v.8).

David understandably prays for God to “deliver me from sinking in the mire” (v. 14) and to “ransom me because of my enemies!” (v. 18). He adds: “I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!” (v.29). However, here’s his next prayer and the reason for sharing this psalm: “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving” (v. 30).

Pastor Jim Denison comments: “With no evidence that God has yet answered any of David’s prayers; so far as we know, he is still in the “deep mire,” hated by his enemies and rejected by his family. But he chooses to praise and magnify his God anyway. Then he makes a claim I want us to take to heart: ‘This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs’ (v. 31)”.

Here’s the point: when we worship and trust God, not because of our circumstances but despite them, we please the Lord of the universe in ways that empower and transform us and our witness. I am reminded of this verse from Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” I encourage you to read through this Psalm again and commit to memorizing Isaiah 41:10. Hide it in your heart so the next time you feel neck in the mire, you will be reminded by the Spirit of God that his strong right hand never loses its grip.