Psalms 69:1-16: a reflection

1Save me, God, for the waters have come up to my neck! 2I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold. I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 3I am weary with my crying. My throat is dry. My eyes fail looking for my God. 4Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. Those who want to cut me off, being my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. I have to restore what I didn’t take away. 5God, you know my foolishness. My sins aren’t hidden from you. 6Don’t let those who wait for you be shamed through me, Lord GOD of Armies. Don’t let those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, God of Israel. 7Because for your sake, I have borne reproach. Shame has covered my face. 8I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s children. 9For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me. 10When I wept and I fasted, that was to my reproach. 11When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. 12Those who sit in the gate talk about me. I am the song of the drunkards. 13But as for me, my prayer is to you, LORD, in an acceptable time. God, in the abundance of your loving kindness, answer me in the truth of your salvation. 14Deliver me out of the mire, and don’t let me sink. Let me be delivered from those who hate me, and out of the deep waters. 15Don’t let the flood waters overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up. Don’t let the pit shut its mouth on me. 16Answer me, LORD, for your loving kindness is good. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, turn to me.

This psalm cries out from the depths of overwhelming trouble, using the image of drowning: Save me, 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, where the floods overflow me. The psalmist feels overwhelmed, sinking, without foothold, the waters closing over him. He is weary with crying, his eyes failing as he looks for God. And yet, in the midst of this drowning trouble, he does not stop turning to God; he prays on: But as for me, my prayer is to you, LORD. God, in the abundance of your loving kindness, answer me. Even overwhelmed and sinking, he keeps praying, keeps turning to God, keeps hoping in God's steadfast love. When we are overwhelmed and sinking in trouble, we can still turn to God in prayer, hoping in his steadfast love, as the psalmist did even as the waters rose. To keep praying and hoping in God's steadfast love even when overwhelmed is what the psalmist shows. Even sinking, he prayed and hoped in God's love. Overwhelmed, he still turned to God.

Notice what the psalmist does even as he is overwhelmed: he keeps turning to God in prayer, hoping in his steadfast love. The trouble is severe; he pictures himself drowning, sinking in the mire, the floods overwhelming him, weary with crying, his eyes failing. This is real, overwhelming distress. And yet he does not abandon God or give up praying; in the midst of it, he says, but as for me, my prayer is to you, LORD, and appeals to the abundance of God's loving kindness. Even overwhelmed, he keeps praying, keeps hoping in God's steadfast love to answer and deliver him. This is a model for us in overwhelming trouble: not to stop turning to God, not to abandon prayer or hope, but to keep crying out to him, keep hoping in his steadfast love, even as the waters rise. When we are overwhelmed and sinking, God's steadfast love is still there to hope in, and we can still turn to him in prayer. To keep praying and hoping in God even when overwhelmed is faith holding on. The psalmist sank in the mire but kept praying to God. Overwhelming trouble is not a reason to stop turning to God, but to keep hoping in his love.

That is worth taking to heart, for even when we are overwhelmed and sinking in trouble, we can keep turning to God in prayer, hoping in his steadfast love. When trouble overwhelms us, when we feel we are drowning, sinking, without foothold, we can be tempted to give up on God, to stop praying, to abandon hope; but the psalmist, even as the waters rose to his neck, kept praying, saying, my prayer is to you, LORD, and hoped in the abundance of God's loving kindness. Even overwhelmed, we can keep turning to God and hoping in his steadfast love. When you are overwhelmed and sinking, do not stop turning to God; keep praying, keep hoping in his steadfast love, as the psalmist did. Keep turning to God in prayer and hoping in his steadfast love even when you are overwhelmed and sinking in trouble, as the psalmist, feeling the waters rise to his neck and sinking in the mire, still prayed, my prayer is to you, LORD, and hoped in the abundance of God's loving kindness; for overwhelming trouble is not a reason to give up on God or abandon prayer and hope, but even as the waters rise we can keep crying out to him and hoping in his steadfast love to answer and deliver us, so that when we are sinking and overwhelmed, faith holds on by continuing to turn to God, whose steadfast love is still there to hope in even in the depths.

Lord, this psalm cries out from the depths of overwhelming trouble, using the image of drowning: Save me, 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, where the floods overflow me. The psalmist feels overwhelmed, sinking, without foothold, the waters closing over him. He is weary with crying, his eyes failing as he looks for you. And yet, in the midst of this drowning trouble, he does not stop turning to you; he prays on: But as for me, my prayer is to you, LORD. God, in the abundance of your loving kindness, answer me. Even overwhelmed and sinking, he keeps praying, keeps hoping in your steadfast love. Show me what the psalmist does even as he is overwhelmed: he keeps turning to you in prayer, hoping in your steadfast love. The trouble is severe; he pictures himself drowning, weary with crying, his eyes failing. And yet he does not abandon you or give up praying; in the midst of it, he says, my prayer is to you, LORD, and appeals to the abundance of your loving kindness. Even overwhelmed, he keeps praying, keeps hoping in your steadfast love. This is a model for me in overwhelming trouble: not to stop turning to you, not to abandon prayer or hope, but to keep crying out to you even as the waters rise. Take that to my heart, for even when I am overwhelmed and sinking in trouble, I can keep turning to you in prayer, hoping in your steadfast love. When trouble overwhelms me, when I feel I am drowning, I can be tempted to give up on you, to stop praying; but the psalmist, even as the waters rose to his neck, kept praying and hoped in your loving kindness. When I am overwhelmed and sinking, keep me from ceasing to turn to you; help me keep praying, Lord, keep hoping in your steadfast love, as the psalmist did even in the depths.