Psalm 69, a psalm of David


 Read Psalm 69


The author of our text was David, and the above verse can be found in the first of three parts of the chapter. In the first part, David pours out his distress and troubles before the Lord and begs God to relieve Him. (Verses 1-15). The second part is where he calls for God's judgments on His persecutors (vers 16-29). He concludes with joy and praise and is confident that God will help him and His people.


Often, people turn to this passage when they're feeling overwhelmed or overcome with emotions and life's struggles. We can understand when David talks about "sinking in the mire" (verses 2 and 14). When we've cried til we can't cry anymore, we feel we can relate to verse 3 when it says, "I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched..." When we feel surrounded by those who hate us and wrongfully accused (verses 4, 5, and 7), we, too, pour our hearts before our hearts out before the Lord. It is good to read these passages as it helps us to not feel alone in our struggles, but we can't just leave it there, or we'll sadly be missing the point. There's a key point in verse 13 that sets the tone for the rest of the chapter. David says, "At an acceptable time, o God, in the abundance of Your steadfast love answer me in Your saving faithfulness." He goes on asking for deliverance (verse 14), answers (verse 16), and for God to turn His Face towards him (verse 17). We, too, must take all our struggles and problems to the Lord. And when we're wrongly accused or judged, we too can ask for God's judgment on our persecutors (verses 22-28). But note what verse 13 is telling us! We must also pray for God's timing, not our own. We can't just demand things from God. We have to accept His answers and timing. And when we've done all this, we must remember what David concludes with. David praises God (verse 30) and reassures that God hears and revives His children (verses 32 and 33). He is confident that God will save His people (verse 35). So yes, we can bring our struggles and problems before the Lord, but we must also remember to trust His timing and praise Him in the storms. God can and will revive and save His children!

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