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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, know my folly O God,;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 May those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
O Lord, the Lord Almighty;.
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
O God of Israel
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my own mother’s sons;
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, O LORD,
in the time of your favour;
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, O 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.
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18 Come near and rescue me;
redeem me because of my foes.
redeem me because of my foes.
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[b] a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and their backs be bent for ever.
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 I am in pain and distress –
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 hoofs.
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. NIV
(NIV)
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Psalm 69- This psalm is a cry for help and it is thought that it could be Jermiah 38:6, where Jerimiah is lowered down into a cistern of mud. The psalmist is suffering for God’s sake, he cries out to God, that God in His love will rescue him.
I am sure that we have all suffered in one way or another, may be an illness, or wrong words or actions from the people around us. What do we do?
Personally, I call out to God to help me, to stop those who are persecuting me.
Sometimes the persecuting is driving us out of our minds, and we feel we can see no end to the suffering, and we have no idea how it will stop.
I called out to God when I was persecuted at work, ‘please let this end’. The person persecuting me and who wanted me to leave, was herself given 3 months’ notice after I left.
We cannot tell what plans God has in store for us; but be of firm belief He is with us always. I have found, when I thought I would be out of work, jobs have come my way or help a been at hand. I have been given wonderful jobs, by people who thought the same way as I have. The jobs have been wonderful and more than I imagined a job could be.
Trust in God and He will help you through your problems.
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