City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

Save me, O God!
    For the waters have come up to my neck.
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.
-Psalm 69:5-6

Reflection

Before I left for work yesterday, my intention was to write on Psalm 23. So on my commute, I put in an old recording of Ray Vander Laan who shared great insight into the meaning on the psalm (and who also talks about the Araura bush which Pastor Chris mentioned in the Sunday sermon). So when you see Psalm 69 above, you may realize that something changed. The Holy Spirit said, I got something else from that same recording!

Ray Vander Laan happened to be talking about the wadis that were in the desert area of Israel and how dangerous they are. When it pours buckets of rain in the mountains far away from the desert, this rain has to go somewhere, so it gushes down in a powerful wave across the desert ravines. Anyone caught in the canyon when this happens, will drown and get carried away. If you have any idea the power and strength that these wadis can bring in an instant, the closest thing in Texas would be the what happened along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County.

After the water flows through, what is left behind is this gooey clay that sticks to you if you walk through it. You will sink shin deep and after a few steps, you can barely move. So if the floods come again, you are stuck and unable to get out. Even the pools of water that is left behind are life-threatening because at any time you can get swept away when a new flood comes.

So in Psalm 69, David is talking about about these floods. “I sink in deep mire” means that he is stuck in the muck left behind from a flood. And “the flood sweeps over me” is how the waters are pulling him under when he is stuck and unable to move. In essence, his life is forfeit. David is saying that he’s at the mercy of his enemies and only God can save him in the jaws of defeat. “My eyes grow dim” – he’s at death’s doorstep. It’s a powerful image that stays with you.

Application

No matter the power of David’s enemies, God is greater. David knows this and puts his trust in God. David goes a step further to say that he will even restore things that he did not take and that he is aware that God knows all his follies, even the worst things in the depths of his soul.

The cry of David in verse 6 really sticks out. No matter what happens, David’s primary goal is not to put others to shame who hope in God – he wants to be a Godly example – and that no one is dishonored who seek after God. This verse should be written on all our hearts. We aren’t perfect, and I’m definitely on the top of that list, and even David messed up BIG time, but our goal is the same. Live a life dedicated to God and then trust the Holy Spirit to still work through our brokenness.

Prayer

Father in Heaven, I pray for those who put their hope in You will not be put to shame because of my mistakes and that those who seek after You are not dishonored when they see me. Help me become a Godly example, someone who loves others like You do, so that healing can happen and people can be restored to You. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.