In Psalm 69, verses 1-3, David cries:
“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.”
The night I read those verses I was exhausted. I knew that I couldn’t go to sleep without first cracking open my Bible and reading at least a Psalm or two. And this is the Psalm I read. As I read it I felt as if it were me calling out. This is how I felt, though before I read this I couldn’t describe it. I felt like I was drowning. I felt overwhelmed, and I was slipping. I’ve been working hard, and thanking God for everything He has allowed in my life, but there seemed to be something holding me back, something trying to get in the way. It’s not gone yet, but I am made aware of it, and I need to put all of my trust on Him who created all things. He will get me out of the depths that I feel I am sinking into.
If I just grab hold of His life raft I can be free. What I need to remember, though, is that this is a time of testing. This morning I did devotions with my daughter before sending her on her way to Chess Club at school. Today’s devotion was about dark days verses light days. During our light days everything goes well, and we feel like we’re on cloud nine. The devotion says that His Light mixes with ours. But on those dark days, those days where nothing seems to be going right, that’s when we need to make sure to seek His Light. The devotion says that that’s when God is testing us, training us to seek His Light. It’s those dark days where we feel most vulnerable. All we need to do is turn to Him.
The chorus from Casting Crowns’ song, “I’ll Praise You in This Storm” just came to my mind:
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
That’s exactly what I’m talking about. We need to praise Him not only when our times are good, but also when they are bad. We need to remember that He is good, and each storm that passes is a way to make us stronger. He wants us to cry out to Him. We should not be too proud to admit when we feel like we are sinking (yes, that’s a huge problem for me, which is why I’m just now writing this). He is there to lift us up; all we need to do is cry out, lift up our hands, and praise the Lord God Almighty because He will never leave our side.
Instead of embracing what could be his fate, David asks God to save him. In verses 14-17 he says:
“Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.”
We should learn by David’s example. He wasn’t too proud to call out when he was in trouble, and he called out to the only One who could really help him. There is no problem too great for God, and even if we slip, He will grab hold of us. All we need to do is ask. He is always with us, and He will never forsake us.
Dear Lord Jesus, I praise You in good times and in bad, for You are always good. Help me to remember that no matter how far I feel I may slip, how deep the waters around me, You will always be there to pick me up. Thank you, Lord God.
“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.”
The night I read those verses I was exhausted. I knew that I couldn’t go to sleep without first cracking open my Bible and reading at least a Psalm or two. And this is the Psalm I read. As I read it I felt as if it were me calling out. This is how I felt, though before I read this I couldn’t describe it. I felt like I was drowning. I felt overwhelmed, and I was slipping. I’ve been working hard, and thanking God for everything He has allowed in my life, but there seemed to be something holding me back, something trying to get in the way. It’s not gone yet, but I am made aware of it, and I need to put all of my trust on Him who created all things. He will get me out of the depths that I feel I am sinking into.
If I just grab hold of His life raft I can be free. What I need to remember, though, is that this is a time of testing. This morning I did devotions with my daughter before sending her on her way to Chess Club at school. Today’s devotion was about dark days verses light days. During our light days everything goes well, and we feel like we’re on cloud nine. The devotion says that His Light mixes with ours. But on those dark days, those days where nothing seems to be going right, that’s when we need to make sure to seek His Light. The devotion says that that’s when God is testing us, training us to seek His Light. It’s those dark days where we feel most vulnerable. All we need to do is turn to Him.
The chorus from Casting Crowns’ song, “I’ll Praise You in This Storm” just came to my mind:
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
That’s exactly what I’m talking about. We need to praise Him not only when our times are good, but also when they are bad. We need to remember that He is good, and each storm that passes is a way to make us stronger. He wants us to cry out to Him. We should not be too proud to admit when we feel like we are sinking (yes, that’s a huge problem for me, which is why I’m just now writing this). He is there to lift us up; all we need to do is cry out, lift up our hands, and praise the Lord God Almighty because He will never leave our side.
Instead of embracing what could be his fate, David asks God to save him. In verses 14-17 he says:
“Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.”
We should learn by David’s example. He wasn’t too proud to call out when he was in trouble, and he called out to the only One who could really help him. There is no problem too great for God, and even if we slip, He will grab hold of us. All we need to do is ask. He is always with us, and He will never forsake us.
Dear Lord Jesus, I praise You in good times and in bad, for You are always good. Help me to remember that no matter how far I feel I may slip, how deep the waters around me, You will always be there to pick me up. Thank you, Lord God.
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