Psalm 66-69

June 21

Psalm 66-69

"But I pray to you, O Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation." (Psalm 69:13, NIV)

The psalmist feels like he is sinking. He feels like the world is against him. He feels like he will die if God does not rescue him. But he also knows that God will not let him sink into the “miry depths.” He realizes that God is his rescuer not only from the events that are consuming him, but also from the people who mock him. The psalmist does not turn to the support of this world, but turns to God for help. He prays for God’s favor and trusts in God’s “sure salvation.”

If we begin to conceive of God’s “sure salvation” and the meaning and greatness of His gift of life to us, we will seek God first when challenges come in our lives. Sometimes we pray and seek relief and it seems like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, but we can know that God loves us and hears our prayers. He may not answer them when and how we would like him to, but He hears us and responds to our cries. We will face challenges in our lives; we will face pain and persecution. We may want God to deliver us from those times, but God more often gives us the grace to go through those times.

No matter what we may face, we can know that God is with us. We can praise His name. The psalmists speak often of shouting to the Lord and praising God’s name in song. When we encounter God, we cannot help but allow our emotions to bubble out of us. For some that is expressed in tears, for others it is laughing. For some it is shouting, for others it is stillness. For some it is singing, for others it is silence. But no matter how we praise Him, He delights in our praise. He wants us to praise Him more than He wants our sacrifices. He wants us to love him and to seek Him more than he wants our rituals. God loves us and hears our cries and wants us to come to Him and trust Him with our lives.