Holston Daily Devotional January 12, 2021

Focus Scripture

Psalm 69:1-5 NIV

1 Save me, O God,

For the waters have come up to my neck.

2 I sink in the miry depths,

Where there is no foothold.

I have come into the deep waters,

the floods engulf me.

3 I am worn out calling for help

my throat is parched,

my eyes fail looking for my God.

4 Those who hate me without reason

Outnumber the hairs of my head,

many are my enemies without cause,

those who seek to destroy me.

I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

5 You know my folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden

from you.

Devotion

As I sit here writing this meditation, Christmas has just passed and the world is awaiting a new year. I hear people expressing their hope that by putting up a new calendar suddenly the world will return to “Normal.” Of course, this is an unrealistic expectation, but I can understand the desire. As I turn to Psalm 69, I can sympathize with the dark mood of the author. I hope that you will take the time to read the entire Psalm, one of the longest laments by an individual writer. This Psalm is one of the most quoted Psalms in the New Testament. The Psalm is “For the director of music” by King David. Scholars suggest that at the time of writing, David may have been ill with an illness that might end his life. Perhaps he may have been suffering from depression. He is also living in isolation.

I can relate to verses 1-3 in which David states that he is drowning in the miry depths where there is no foothold. During this past year, who has not felt as though they were drowning? We sit and focus on what we have done in the past that we cannot do now. We long to be able to be with our family and friends. We long to be able to gather in large groups to worship. We long to greet each other with hugs and handshakes. Pastors and laity alike are trying to find a new way to be the church when we cannot be in the church. Pastors spend time worrying about how we can do old things new ways. We worry about how to keep our church family together. We worry about how many of our flock will return when we fully reopen. Most of all we worry about COVID-19. “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.”

When I read these words, I thought of a picture I saw in a Maritime Museum. It was a picture of a body of water from which a hand reached upward. Above the waters was a cloud with a hand reaching down to grasp the uplifted hand. The meaning, of course, is that when you are drowning, reach up to God. David must have understood this. In verse 16, David asserts that he is confident – despite his dire circumstances – that God will hear him and rescue him. When you feel yourself sinking fast, do not give up. Choose to turn to God in humble faith. Pray to Him. He will rescue you. Do not let the world overwhelm you. God is still in control. Hope is still on our horizon in the form of several vaccines, but we must be patient.

The end of the Psalm (verses 30-36) admonishes us to praise God with thanksgiving for what he is doing and has done in our lives. Let us thank God for the things that are, and do not mourn for the things that we have lost. I will close with a verse from one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Prayer

Loving God, in these dark times, help us to turn our sadness into rejoicing. We praise you for all the good things in our lives. Make us grateful. Amen.