FINDING HOPE IN THE MIDST OF PAIN

April 11, 2017

FINDING HOPE IN THE MIDST OF PAIN

Psalm 69:1–18

Megan Daly

Central Truth

God desires to redeem our lives and remind us of His steadfast love. Even when life is hard, we can find hope in Him who delivers us from the strongholds and difficulties of this life. He will not let the waters overwhelm us or the pit swallow us up.

Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Hide not your face from your servant,
for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies!
(Psalm 69:16-18)

Save Me, O God

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. Of David.

1 Save me, O God!
    For the waters have come up to my neck.^{1

69:1
Or waters threaten my life}
2 I sink in deep mire,
    where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
    and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
    with waiting for my God.

4 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?
5 O God, you know my folly;
    the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

6 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.
7 For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
    that dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother's sons.

9 For zeal for your house has consumed me,
    and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and humbled^{2

69:10
Hebrew lacks and humbled} my soul with fasting,
    it became my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
    I became a byword to them.
12 I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,
    and the drunkards make songs about me.

13 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.
14 Deliver me
    from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
    and from the deep waters.
15 Let not the flood sweep over me,
    or the deep swallow me up,
    or the pit close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good;
    according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
17 Hide not your face from your servant,
    for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
18 Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
    ransom me because of my enemies!

Footnotes

[1] 69:1 Or waters threaten my life
[2] 69:10 Hebrew lacks and humbled

“Unfortunately, things are not well anymore.” These are the words spoken to my husband and me as we were sitting in the emergency room on February 14, 2016. The doctor confirmed that we had miscarried our first child. The amount of pain, confusion, and fear was almost overwhelming. I couldn’t help but question how this could be good, or how I would ever recover from this tragedy. I knew, on my own strength, I wouldn’t be able to recover.

I can relate to David in Psalm 69 as he says he feels as if he is sinking in the mire and the flood is sweeping over him. I was in distress and in great need of being delivered from the pain and anguish that filled my days and months following the loss of a child. So what did I do? The only thing I knew I could do—turn to the only One who answers us in His saving faithfulness.

God reminds us in this passage that He will rescue us from being overtaken and delivered to our enemies. We are reminded of God’s never-changing character even in the midst of trials. He is the One who saves us, and is the Lord of Hosts. He is steadfast in love and answers our prayers in saving faithfulness. He is good, gives abundant mercy, draws near to us, and redeems us.

Isaiah reminds of this same truth when he writes, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:2-3a) Escaping pain in this world is impossible, and God alone is the One who can deliver you. Turn to Him and allow Him to be your strength when you are weak. Put your hope and trust in God who is faithful to deliver His people.

1. Where is the first place you turn to for deliverance and strength when life gets hard?

2. What characteristic of God is most encouraging to you in this passage?

3. Are there people in your life experiencing trials who need to be encouraged by Psalm 69 and the hope we have in God? If so, go share with them about the goodness of God today!