Courage in Times of Deep Water: Psalm 69-Supplication through the Scriptures

Courage in Times of Deep Water

Psalm 69

I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.

Psalm 69:2

In our psalm today, David expresses his hardships in vivid language. We can sense his desperation when we read the first few verses that describe his difficulty with phrases like “the waters come up to my neck,” and “I sink in deep mire.” He continues, “I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.” He’s weary with his crying. His throat is parched because of his continual cries. He is weary with waiting on God. We do not know the circumstances that have brought David to this place where he feels like he is drowning in affliction, but I’m thankful we do not have all the details. In his commentary on the Psalms, Longman says, “The troubles are not specific, which is in keeping with the purpose of the Psalms to provide templates of prayers for later worshippers who have similar, though not identical, issues.” Without specifics, we are able to insert ourselves in the Psalms, and use their comfort and truth for our own suffering.

In 2 Samuel 7:27, David says, “your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.” Courage can be defined as “strength in the face of grief or pain” (Oxford languages). It takes courage at times to pray to the Lord in the midst of our distress, especially to pray for His will to be done in His time. Back in Psalm 69, after David has laid his complaint before God, he declares, “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness” (69:13). David is looking to the Lord. He is directing his prayer to Him, and he is looking for God to answer him 1) in His time—“at an acceptable time,” 2) according to what God’s love deems needed—“in the abundance of your steadfast love,” and 3) according to what His faithfulness provides—“in your saving faithfulness.”

“At an acceptable time” recognizes the sovereignty of God to bring about His purposes and His designs at the proper time. His wisdom and understanding are inscrutable and He knows the exact time when His answer to our dilemma will prove most profitable. He knows all the intricate details and He is bringing together a myriad of things in order to give us an answer to our prayer at the acceptable time. So even though David’s “eyes grow dim” while he waits for God, he submits himself to God’s answer according to the time God has ordained.

“In the abundance of your steadfast love” demonstrates the basis of God’s workings toward His children. He has covenanted His faithful love to us, and that love will always work to perfectly bring about the glory of God and the good of His children in every circumstance. Sometimes His love deems it necessary to bring a great deliverance in our situation, and sometimes His love purposes hardship and trial in order to conform us more and more to the image of His Son. And David, faced with suffering unjustly and maintaining a zeal for the Lord, knows God in His steadfast love will deliver him and accomplish all His good purposes.

And finally, in adding“in your saving faithfulness,” David recognizes the trustworthiness and great faithfulness that God always demonstrates to His children. God always acts in truth, all His ways are just, and He will save in His time and in His perfect way. His faithfulness always provides what He knows we need. David has been the recipient of lies and attacks (Psalm 69:3-4), but he knows his God “is not a man, that He should lie…Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19 NASB). David knows God’s faithfulness will always act for David and not against him.

Can we pray courageously? Can we pray that His answer will come in His time according to what His love directs and His faithfulness provides? Can we find strength in Him to raise our eyes and cry to Him even if we are weary in our crying out and weary in our waiting on Him?

Let’s use Psalm 69:1-15 as a guide for courageously praying to the Lord for that trouble that has us feeling like we’re drowning. He is there ready to deliver us from the deep waters (69:14).

Daily Dagger:

My prayer is to You, O Lord. Answer me at an acceptable time in Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness (69:13).
Let not the flood sweep over me or the deep swallow me up (69:15).

Save Me!

69:1-5 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. More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore? O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

Let’s pray:

▫️The Lord would save us from this affliction that is overwhelming us and making us feel like we are drowning and sinking in deep mire.

▫️Our sorrow would be turned to joy (John 16:20) as we cry out. In our weariness, God would pour out His Spirit, our Helper, on us as we wait for Him.

▫️When we are despairing of life, or feel the sentence of death because these distresses are so overwhelming, we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1:10).

▫️We would repent of the wrong we have done, knowing nothing is hidden from the Lord, and we would find abundant grace and mercy.

For Your Sake

69:6-9 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother’s sons. For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.

Let’s pray:

▫️If we are bearing reproach for the Lord or because we are seeking to live righteously, we would not suffer shame and dishonor, but we would entrust ourselves wholly upon the goodness and justice of God.

▫️The Lord would protect those around us, and they would continue to hope in the Lord and seek Him, and if they share in our sufferings they would also share in our comfort in Christ.

▫️Our zeal and passion for the Lord and His church would continue to be strengthened and increased even in times where we feel burdened excessively, even beyond our strength.

Deliver Me

69:10-15 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.

Let’s pray:

▫️We would weep and humble our souls before the Lord seeking His strength, grace, deliverance, and wisdom for this difficult trial.

▫️In our prayers concerning this affliction, our hearts would be submissive to the Lord’s will and timing and trust His steadfast love and saving faithfulness for these hard days.

▫️The Lord would deliver us from sinking in this mire! He would deliver us from our enemies and from the deep waters.

▫️He would protect us so that the flood would not sweep over us or the deep swallow us up.

▫️We would conduct ourselves throughout life, but especially through these overwhelming days, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, in holiness and godly sincerity (2 Corinthians 1:12).

‭‭

Photo credit to ly0ns

Search This Blog

Savoring the Scripture