Save me, O God,
for the waters have risen to my neck.
I have sunk into the mud of the deep
and there is no foothold.
I have entered the waters of the deep
and the waves overwhelm me.
I am wearied with all my crying,
my throat is parched.
My eyes are wasted away
from looking for my God.
More numerous than the hairs on my head
are those who hate me without cause.
Those who attack me with lies
are too much for my strength.
How can I restore
what I have never stolen?
O God, you know my sinful folly;
my sins you can see.
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame
through me, Lord of hosts:
let not those who seek you be dismayed
through me, God of Israel.
It is for you that I suffer taunts,
that shame covers my face,
that I have become a stranger to my family,
an alien to my brothers and sisters.
I burn with zeal for your house
and taunts against you fall on me.
When I afflict my soul with fasting
they make it a taunt against me.
When I put on sackcloth and mourning
then they make me a byword,
the gossip of folk at the gates,
the subject of drunkard’s songs.
This is my prayer to you,
my pray for your favour.
In your great love, answer me, O God,
with your help that never fails;
rescue me from sinking in the mud,
save me from my foes.
Save me from the waters of the deep
lest the waves overwhelm me.
Do not let the deep engulf me
nor death close its mouth on me.
Lord, answer, for your love is kind;
in your compassion, turn towards me.
Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly for I am in distress.
Come close to my soul and redeem me;
ransom me pressed by my foes.
You know how they taunt and deride me;
my oppressors are all before you.
Taunts have broken my heart;
I have reached the end of my strength.
I looked in vain for compassion, for consoles;
not one could I find.
For food they gave me poison;
in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Let their table be a snare to them
and their festive banquets a trap.
Let their eyes grow dim and blind;
let their limbs tremble and shake.
Pour out your anger upon them,
let the heat of your fury overtake them.
Let their camp be left desolate;
let no one dwell in their tents:
for they persecute one whom you struck;
they increase the pain of one you wounded.
Charge them with guilt upon guilt;
let them never be found just in your sight.
Blot them out from the book of the living;
do not enrol them among the just.
As for me in my poverty and pain,
let your help, O God, lift me up.
I will praise God’s name with a song;
I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
A gift pleasing God more than oxen,
more than beasts prepared for sacrifice.
The poor when they see it will be glad
and God-seeking hearts will revive;
for the Lord listens to the needy
and does not spurn his servants in their chains.
Let the heavens and the earth give him praise,
the sea and all its living creatures.
For God will bring help to Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah
and men shall dwell there in possession.
The children of his servants shall inherit it;
those who love his name shall dwell there.
Reflection Psalm 69 – The Psalm of Struggle.
This Psalm weaves a wonderful tapestry of emotion. It challenges us to bring our imperfect selves into our relationship with God.
The first sentence describes David’s raw emotion, which reflects his desperation. The image of him drowning in that situation evokes a sense of urgency and attests to the depth of his overwhelm. As the Psalm unfolds, he describes vividly the hopelessness and isolation he felt as under weight of undeserved injustice. Yet, among it all, David saw a spark of hope in the divine assistance he was seeking. Amid his overwhelm, he knew he could call out to God, share his suffering, and pray for an end to injustice.
It feels flippant to suggest that this is the key to ending all of our pain as easily as that. This Psalm is not that. Instead, it challenges us to call out to God and dares us to hope in these experiences. Do we speak to God about situations or people that are causing us pain, or do we follow the very human path of trying to handle it ourselves until we realise we can’t manage this alone? It feels like that is what David has done here, given the desperation shown in his opening line, which might suggest that he was at his wits end.
The trouble is that feelings are scary; they can make us feel vulnerable and alone. Vulnerability is a difficult word even to read, let alone be! Yet, these times often are our greatest spaces of learning and growth. When we run out of our own fight, we meet God and God meets us.
David showed his vulnerability before God; he laid his feelings bare and asked God to help. Jesus showed his vulnerability in the Garden of Gethsemane. Arguably, two of the biggest characters in the Bible show us that there is strength in vulnerability. If only, we could just let go and ask for help. David did … but can we?
Prayer
Dear God,
Please help us to be able to meet you in prayer
in the times when we feel vulnerable,
as David did in this Psalm.
Be our light when our words fail us.
Be our compass when we don’t know which way to go.
Be our comfort when all feels lost.
Amen