Psalm 69:1-3  – “Save me, O God, For the waters have threatened my life. ² I have sunk in deep clay, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.  ³ I am weary with my calling out; my throat is parched; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I heard, “Troubled Waters.”  What could that mean?  Was it a warning?  Was it a call to intercession?  What was the message?

As I read Psalm 69, the message of verses 1-3 caught my attention.   “Save me, O God.”  Many have been the occasions I have cried those words.  Help was my passionate plea.  There have been times when I said, “LORD, it’s me again.  I’ve messed up again.  I need help again.”

The Psalmist continued, “FOR or because the waters have threatened my life.”   Waters?  Usually, water refers to people in Scripture.  But it can easily be trouble.  Sometimes, trouble comes through people.

“I have come into DEEP CLAY, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.”   Deep Clay?  Based on the verbiage and connections, I suggest this is a stronghold of the mind (thought patterns) that make life unstable and uncertain.  The flood of trouble is upon me, and I see no way out.

In verse 3, he says, “I am weary with my calling out; my throat is parched; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.”   The troubles of life have become so overwhelming that hopelessness is his constant companion.  He has cried out so much that he has become hoarse, which suggests that his desperation resulted in yelling at God!    HELP!  HELP!  HELP!  I’ve been there!

Psalm 73 brought comfort and hope to my heart.  The Psalmist confessed that he had looked at others and assumed they were treated better by God than he was.  Then in verses 16-17, the light came on.   In Psalm 71:14-15, we see a pathway to victory.   Wait on or before God in praise (maybe a sacrifice of praise).  Let that praise grow in intensity and frequency.   Rehearse in your mind Who God Is and All He Has Done!

Psalm 77:2 – “In the day of my distress I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; my soul refused to be comforted.”   My focus is God, not trouble or man.    I refuse to allow false ease to prevail but am determined to press into His presence and be set free!   If life’s waters are troubled, take heart, the one who speaks to the wind is with us!

Lord, help us to move from the Deep Clay of Life to the Solid Rock of Jesus!

Psalm 63:3-4 – “Because experiencing your loyal love is better than life itself, my lips will praise you.  ⁴ For this reason I will praise you while I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, I was encouraged beyond measure and convicted deeply.  The declaration of Psalm 63:3-4 caused me to stop and reflect on the truth therein.

“Because Your lovingkindness (chesed) is better than life, my lips shall laud You. Thus, will I bless You as long as I live: I will lift up my hands in Your name.”

Lovingkindness?  That is a captivating word.  The word sounds refreshing and mysterious.   It is the Hebrew “chesed” – Mercy!   But it is more than mercy.   It is an extravagant act of divine kindness motivated by agape!  It is arresting mercy that penetrates all darkness and dispels all fear and doubt.  It contains the motivation of the gospel (restoration).

If embraced and understood, it defines grace!  It consumes and becomes more important than life itself because it reveals God’s heart!  From it flows spontaneous praise!

In verse 6, the Psalmist gives a pathway to perpetual peace and revelation.  “When I remember (call to the forefront of the consciousness or mind) You on my bed, I meditate on YOU (not God’s acts but God) in the night watches.”

At the conclusion of the day, after all the busyness and chaos we bring to the forefront of our consciousness, GOD! 

• The Living God whose Chesed is better than life itself!   
• The Living god whose mercy is beyond limit.   
• The Living God, whose love surrounds us and elevates us into His presence, is our focus as we drift off to sleep.

It allows our spirit to meditate on GOD!   Imagine going to bed every night with the last conscious thought, the person of God!  Imagine the incredible downloads that could come as we sleep in Him and awaken to the conscious reality of His incredible lovingkindness (mercy).  How could we do anything but praise Him with overflowing gratitude?  How could our lives not be a witness and testimony of love?

Psalm 65:4 is becoming a go-to passage of encouragement for me.  “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You that he would dwell in Your courts.  We will be satisfied with the Goodness of Your House, Your Holy Temple.”    Wow!   We are chosen, brought near to come in and reside in Him, living completely satisfied lives!  What a promise and place!  My cry is, “Make it so, LORD.  Make it so.”

LORD, help us to embrace Your Lovingkindness and be Transformed!

Psalm 51:10-13 – “Create for me a pure heart, O God.  Renew a resolute spirit within me.  ¹¹ Do not reject me.  Do not take your holy Spirit away from me.  ¹² Let me again experience the joy of your deliverance. Sustain me by giving me the desire to obey.  ¹³ Then I will teach rebels  Your merciful ways, and sinners will turn to you.”

As I prayed, read, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was challenged.   Psalm 51 reveals why God could call David a man after His own heart.  In verses 2-4, David recognized his depravity, repented, and desired renewal.   Being pure-hearted was a driving force in David’s life.

In verses 10-13, we see the heart of God expressed in David.  He desired cleansing, renewal, the embrace of the Holy Spirit, and restoration (identifying his recognition of his failures).   He cried to God to mold him into that man who pleased God and could be used by God.   He asked to be sustained by a willing (obedient) spirit and expressed the prime desire of discipleship.

In Psalm 55:2, the directive to cast our burdens on the Lord was declared by Jesus in the Gospels.  Obedience is impossible without trust.  Trust is impossible without knowledge.  If we do not know God, we cannot trust Him.  If we do not trust Him, we will not explicitly obey Him.

I believe it was Corrie ten Boom who said, “We can trust an uncertain future to a certain God.”   If we know God’s ways, we know God’s heart and His eternality, enabling us to not only trust Him but also expect and anticipate His fulfillment of His promises.

Do we know Him or just know about Him?  That is revealed in our level of trust.  Our level of trust is expressed in our expectations.

Father, help us to give our entire being to You and watch You transform the Uncertain into Certainty.

Psalm 39:7  – “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?  My hope is in You.”

Most things in life are temporary and changing.  Even love, among humans, can be fleeting and fickle.  When the true source of love lives in us, love is continuous and unshakable.   As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, being totally consumed by God became God’s visible objective for all believers.

In Psalm 39:7, the psalmist asked and answered a probing question.  The trouble of life was engulfing him.  He asked, “And now, Lord, what do I hope in?”   Sometimes, life becomes so convoluted and chaotic that we lose hope.  He looked at his plight and said, “Now what?”  He could have and may have asked “Why?”

Then, the Pslamist, without hesitation, revealed a solid grounding in faith and vision, said, “My expectation is IN You.”   He asked about Hope and said Expectation.  I find that curious and revelatory.

Hope can be a natural longing that is more a wish than a confidence.  His answer revealed something that transcended wishful thinking and longing.  “My Expectation is IN You.” You are the source of my expectation.  You are the confidence of my confession.  You are the supply of my longings and needs.  You are my all.

That’s the heart of Isaiah in Psalm 46.   Although nothing is dependable and everything is shaking in my life, “God is my refuge (place of safety) and strength” (source of provision and power).  A very PRESENT HELP in trouble.”   Out of that confidence, he saw the pathway to peace and victory – “Cease striving (trying to figure it out and do it in your strength) and know that God is God.”

If God IS, then why fret?  I think about Stephen’s recounting of Moses on the mountain.  Moses SAW the pattern of the Ark.  Saw it?  Yes, on the natural mountain, he saw it?  He spent forty days without food or water.   What does that suggest?  On that mountain, Moses encountered a portal that allowed him to step into the heavenly realm, and in God’s presence, He saw and was anchored.  Out of that experience, he lived with God as his expectation!

Stephen, in Acts 7, saw the heavens standing open and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father.  He SAW, and out of that experience, he saw the completion of his expectation in Jesus!  Stephen was so filled with Jesus and the Holy Spirit that his countenance was transformed.  His transformation began in His heart, filled his mind, and showed in his face!  His expectation was IN God!

Life is sweetest when lived in the peace of knowing GOD IS!  No matter what, God IS!  No matter where God IS!  So, cease striving; God IS!  Live in expectation!  The God who never fails is our God.

Lord, help us to become consumed with You and focused on Your Purposes!

Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was impressed with the reality of God and the purpose proposed by Jesus for the church.   In Psalm 27:1, as I read those words, what echoed in my heart was, “Have no fear; God is near!”   That began my journey today.  God’s presence brings God’s peace and power.

In Psalm 30:5, I realized that God’s discipline is momentary and is designed to bring a lifetime of fellowship and favor.   In Psalm 32:3-7, I recognized the physical consequences of concealing sin.  I saw the victory of repentance.

Then, in Acts 1:6-8, I was impressed with the urgency Jesus placed on receiving the power of the Holy Spirit.  They were focused on the restoration of Israel as a nation and as God’s earthly kingdom.  Jesus made it clear that He had a larger purpose: the salvation of the world.

The Holy Spirit drew me to the first message preached in the new church, as recorded in Acts 2:37-38.   Repentance was a central theme for John the Baptist, Jesus, and the disciples.   It all begins with repentance and surrender to God.  We die to ourselves so we can live to Him.

The command of Jesus was TARRY (wait) in Jerusalem UNTIL they received THE PROMISE of the Father, which would enable them to fulfill the mission – Be witnesses!  It meant preaching, teaching, and manifesting the very heart and nature of Jesus.

Signs and wonders opened the door to the message.  Jesus would say about His miracles, The Kingdom of God has come near you.

Like the disciples, we can focus on important things and miss the essentials.   A journey begins somewhere.  We desire the restoration of all things (Acts 3:19-21).  However, to reach that destination, we must start with the directive of Acts 2:37-40: repent, receive the cleansing of our sins, enter the family, be filled, and then begin the process of becoming.  We don’t start at maturity.  We become mature.

My heart is drawn to Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the end of the earth.”

If we are IN Jesus and His Word (which is Him), we can ask and manifest Him.  He told us to pray for His Kingdom to come.  There is no kingdom without the king.  The message and answer is Jesus!

The song echoing in my heart is – “I Surrender All.”   If He fills our all, we become all He purposed and manifest Him to the world.

Remember, God did not give us a Spirit of Fear, but One of Boldness, Courage, and Sanity!