READING: Psalms 67-69, Romans 12:9-13:14
Have you ever faced a difficult time when discouragement and despair seemed to grab you? Sometimes that happens because we make sinful choices that lead to gut-wrenching conviction. At other times, those opposed to God’s followers aim their arrows at us, even wanting to capitalize on our own wrongs to keep others from trusting Him. The psalmist faced both issues in psalm 69.
On one hand, he knew he had in some way acted foolishly—and nothing he could do could hide his sins from God. Shame covered his face, and mourning marked his life. At the same time, his enemies mocked him, insulted him, and left him in distress. His words, in fact, reveal his anguish: he faced rising waters of trouble, had sunk in deep mud, and had worn himself out with weeping. Mourning and fasting had brought him only insults, not relief.
His answer? It was not to run from God but to run to Him. It was to cry out again and again: “Save me, God” (Psa 69:1); “don’t let me sink” (Psa 69:14); “don’t let the pit close its mouth over me” (Psa 69:15); “answer me quickly!” (Psa 69:17). His hope rested in the abundant, faithful, compassionate love of God. That’s our hope, too.
PRAYER: “God, answer me quickly when I cry out to You in my distress.”
DAILY ACTION STEP: Seek God today if you are mired in the clay. If this is not your situation, pray for someone else facing the same situation.
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalms 70-74, Romans 14:1-15:13