From Miry Depths to Glory
Scripture Reading — Psalm 69:1-21
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
Yesterday we considered the plight of sinking to the depths of a destructive, ruinous life. Today we look at a psalm in which the writer calls out to God for help, seeking salvation.
Psalm 69 was written by King David of Israel in a time of accusation and conspiracy. We don’t know many details, but apparently the scandal was about a sin he did not commit.
Reading this psalm today, we can also see that it points to Jesus, describing scenes of his descent into the agony of the cross. There he was hated and persecuted without reason. There he paid what he had not stolen. He was given vinegar for his thirst (John 19:28-29). People who passed by on the road mocked him (Mark 15:29- 32). For our sake, Jesus sank to the depths of hell (Mark 15:34), even though he was pure and sinless (Hebrews 4:15).
God’s mercy for us is clear in the forgiveness we have because of Jesus’ suffering. And this moves us to forgive and care for others, who may have sunk into miry depths on their own. Knowing that we are all sinners who need the Savior, we can point others to Christ and help them out of the mire too.
For all who believe, Jesus has borne the punishment for all our sin. And, rising from the dead and ascending to heaven, he went on ahead to prepare a place for us in God’s kingdom, where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).
O God, save us from our sins and folly. And guide us to love others because you first loved us. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.
About the author — George Young
George Young, a native New Yorker, worked as a taxi driver in New York City before studying to become a pastor. Then he, his wife Ruth, and their children were missionaries for many years in northeastern Japan. They worked with ministers and believers from the Reformed Church in Japan to spread the good news of salvation in Christ and establish new churches. Now George and Ruth are retired and live in the northeastern United States, nearer to their children and grandchildren.
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