READ Psalm 69:1–6. 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.
HATED WITHOUT REASON. Here is a man deeply wounded by slander (verses 1–3). The false accusation (verse 4) leads to self-accusation (verse 5), because he knows his genuine sins. But rather than thinking only of his own reputation, he is concerned that other believers might become disgraced because of him (verse 6). Ironically, a more self-absorbed and hard man would not have cared as much. The more holy we are, the more our heart is bound up with others and with God and so the more we feel the sadness of the world. Jesus, the perfect man, was “a man of sorrows.” Godliness leads us to be both far happier and far sadder at the same time, though the final note is always joy (Psalm 30:5).
Prayer: Lord, when people fall into trouble, I see myself afraid to get involved lest I be swallowed by their grief. But when you loved me you got eternally involved, and it cost you infinite grief. Strengthen me with your grace so that I can be available and open to the needs of others around me. Amen.