Forest Lake Talks

Devotional: An alternate translation to begin this psalm says, "RESCUE me, O God, for the waters have come to my neck."

Nothing is going right for this psalmist, as we learn there are enemies, follies, and shame, compounded with alienation from family and friends.

Ever felt like the psalmist?

HOWEVER, the psalmist has not become alienated from God, writing, "In fasting I wept for my being" (alternate translation, again) in verse 11 before saying, "As for me, my prayer is to you."

I wonder what fasting caused this psalmist to do. What did he or she choose to give up? Is it hatred or jealousy? Probably not, as this psalm clearly shows those emotions are still evident. I think the psalmist, through intentional prayer, gave up a sense of hopelessness after hitting rock bottom, realizing there was nothing else to cling to at that time. The irony is that something given up allowed the psalmist to become reoriented to God and regain some form of hope. Look at the hope in verse 34: "The Lord listens to the needy."

Prayer: Holy God, keep working in us. Cleanse us from things that turn our attention away from you. Open our lips, O Lord, so we continue to sing your praise. Amen.

Work Cited: Alter, Robert. The Book of Psalms. (New York: W.W. Norton), 236-240.