God Knows Our Folly
Opening Prayer
Holy God, accept my praise. Your grace is amazing, and Your love is unending. I’m glad to be with You now.
Read PSALM 69
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, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Lord, the Lord Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But I pray to you, Lord,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.
29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.
30 I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Don’t waste your life experiences, even if they are negative. They can be of great value in your ability to help others.
Think Further
I once faced a malicious allegation but was in a position to put my accuser to shame by demonstrating that he had lied blatantly against me. Before I acted in rash indignation, however, the Lord brought to my attention something else that I had done which was much worse but of which, thankfully, my accuser was not aware!
In this personal lament, David was conscious of his folly and failings before God. They had the potential to bring shame to those who looked up to him (5,6), and enemies he had not wronged derided him (7–12). What is a man to do in such circumstances? In a passionate appeal, David turned to the one who knew all there was to be known about him but loved him just the same (13). Basically, he had three things to say to God—things we would do well to consider when we use this psalm to aid and inspire our worship. First is the request to be delivered from enemies who gave him poison for food and, as was to happen to Jesus Christ on the cross (John 19:28,29), gave him sour wine when he needed something more wholesome to quench his thirst (21). Next followed an all-too- human request from someone who did not have our advantage of the example and teachings of Jesus (22–29).
Finally, and much more worthy of emulation, the psalmist praised the Lord with all of his energy and invited heaven and earth to join in lifting up his holy name (30–36). This praise led to the confident assertions of his conclusion, which should help to calm our hearts when we too traverse similar terrain.
Apply
Read Matthew 5:44. Can you think of anyone who, perhaps, may not wish you well? How can you bless them today?
Closing prayer
Holy One, I must learn to praise You, particularly when troubles are about to overwhelm me. Praise is the only thing that will honor You and fulfill me (30).
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.