The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Sunday, July 29th, 2007“God, God, save me! I’m in over my head…” Psalm 69:1
Boy, I could spend days on just this one Psalm. It takes me from one end of David’s (or whoever wrote this Psalm with David in mind) emotions to the other. I think that’s what I like about it. This Psalm lets me know that God listens to us each time we speak – even in our revengeful anger. The Bible is full of stories and attitudes that are not condoned by God, but He listens and responds. When I am angry and say things out of the wrong motivations of my hurt, God listens. He definitely corrects my poor attitudes and destructive thoughts, but He listens. And then He responds. Sometimes He responds to me through a particularly committed friend. There have been times that music has communicated God’s heart to me. I am appreciative that God shows me the respect and the attention that I often forget to show other people. He makes time for me and my rants, every bit as much as my prayers of thanksgiving. He loves me just as I am, but – here’s the part I am most appreciative of – He refuses to leave me there.
Like many of our most sincere prayers, this Psalm starts with the brutal honesty of our need for God and His rescue. “Save me, O God…” David works his request out with God, asking for rescue from his terrible circumstances and all of his enemies, but he is also honest about his own shortcomings “God, You know every sin I’ve committed…” David’s fear drives him towards anger against “those who seek to destroy” him because of his belief in Yahweh, the God of Israel. All of David’s innermost thoughts come out here. There’s a funny thing about prayer I find in a good portion of the Psalms… no matter where they start out, they usually end up in praise and true worship.
God, may my prayers be as honest as David’s - putting myself into Your hands as The Potter. May we all feel the confidence in you as our Father to come to you with whatever we are feeling or experiencing, especially when we feel dry and cracked. And may we all be willing let You mold our attitudes into the shape of true worship and trust.
