1 Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
2 Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me.
3 I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.
4 Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.
5 O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you.
6 Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.
7 For I endure insults for your sake; humiliation is written all over my face.
8 Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger.
9 Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10 When I weep and fast, they scoff at me.
11 When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me.
12 I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.
13 But I keep praying to you, Lord, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mud; don’t let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me,
and pull me from these deep waters.
15 Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me.
16 Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful.
17 Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
18 Come and redeem me; free me from my enemies.
"You're embarrassing yourself."
Have you ever heard those words? There is no mistaking the meaning. Somebody is telling you that you're acting beneath your dignity. But, you know, we live in a culture where the common reply is "it's' my life...I can do what I want." So, its getting increasingly more difficult to challenge somebody to behave based on damage to their reputation.
As the 1960's hit by The Animals says "It's my life and I'll do what I want. It's my mind and I'll think what I want." That's America for you...
Au contraire, my friend. As people of faith, the things we do reflect on the entire Body of Christ. How many times have we heard people use the bad behavior of some obscure christian years ago as their excuse for having nothing to do with the Church? I hear it, in one form or another, all the time.
This is why our psalmist says "Don't let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me...don't let me cause them to be humiliated." He understood, long before John Donne said it, that Mr. Donne would be right when he said "no man is an island." Our lives influence what others think about Christians. More important, our lives influence what people think about Christ himself.
So, do you know what our author did? He made his life a matter of prayer. Not simply because he wanted a comfortable life, but because he knew his failures would reflect poorly on other believers. So, using the perils of drowning as a metaphor for his life he says "save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me".
The turbulent waters of life often threaten to overtake us. Many believers start strong and their lives bring great honor to God. But, somewhere along the way distractions, temptations or selfish pride get in the way. I have a good friend whose father was a military chaplain. After a career in ministry he had become encumbered by worldly temptations. By the time I met him he was divorced and was running an escort service (not the nice kind). This was a man of God...and he proudly told everybody he met about his career as a minister. My friend was completely embarrassed....and would have nothing to do with his father. As the psalmist says..."even my own brothers pretend like they don't know me."
I wonder how many of his acquaintances were impressed.
We need to live disciplined lives. No because god will love us more, but because we don't want to embarrass God's church. It's the only one He has. He wants it to have a spotless reputation.
How are you doing with that...?
Live boldly out there today...
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