Psalm 69 -- Wow, What A Prayer!

“He had prayed to the Lord, but the Lord had not yet answered, and he wanted an answer now!  Though he was not sinless, he was innocent of the charges his enemies were making, and yet he was being treated as though he were guilty.”

“His second reason for praying for deliverance was for the Lord’s sake, because those who lied about David were blaspheming the name of the Lord … He was scorned because he stood up for the Lord and because he was zealous for God’s house … their attacks against David were attacks against God.”

As I read through this psalm, several verses really stood out this morning:

“My strong love for Your Temple completely controls me.”  I remembered that the Temple wasn’t built until after David’s time, when Solomon built it.  David’s love was for something God was planning.  It could be God’s heavenly Temple, or from the New Testament, our bodies as temples for God as well.  For me, the operative word was “completely” in that sentence.  Can I say that my love for God completely controls me?  Not very often.  Like everyone, I am often controlled by personal concerns.

The next sentence said, “When people insult You, it hurts me.”  I’m so glad that You’ve brought me to a point in my life where that is true, Father.

I loved verses 13-20.  They are worthy stopping now and looking up – David’s prayer for God to save him.  Verse 20 was particularly touching for me right now:  “Insults have broken my heart and left me weak.  I looked for sympathy, but there was none.”

Something worth noting is verse 26, where David is talking about his enemies:  “They chase after those YOU have hurt, and they talk about the pain of those YOU have wounded.”  David sees his pain as coming from God through his enemies’ actions, it sounds like.

I would find it almost impossible, though, to pray his prayer in verse 28:  “Wipe their names from the book of life and do not list them with those who do what is right.”  Their names had to be in the book of life to be wiped from it.  My commentary mentioned what Jesus said in Matthew 23 about the Pharisees.

There was encouragement for us near the end:  “Be encouraged, you who worship God.  The Lord listens to those in need and does not look down on captives [of sin, perhaps?].”

Father, You know how all of this applies in my life.  Please restore what others have taken from me over the last several years by their incorrect assignment of motives they thought I had.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford