Throw me a rope!

Psalm 69:1-3, 13

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I recently saw a meme online that made me chuckle. It said “When I was a kid I thought quicksand was going to be a much bigger problem than it is.” And it seems that in all the movies and in all the different TV shows and cartoons that I watched growing up there always seemed to be a part where the characters had suddenly found themselves in a big pit of quicksand and they were sinking fast in need of being rescued.

Have you ever felt that way? That you’re getting stuck in quicksand? I doubt too many of us have ever actually encountered quicksand, but this is a reoccurring feeling that we have. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve had this reoccurring dream of getting stuck in mud or in cement or something like that and I can’t get free. And it’s terrifying. And I think a lot of people know that feeling especially here today with this pandemic going on we can feel as if we are becoming so easily overwhelmed with things.

But we find comfort as we face these kinds of feelings in God’s Word. King David himself felt this way. In Psalm 69, King David writes

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink into the deep mud, where there is no place to stand.
have entered deep waters, and the rapids rush over me.
I am worn out from my crying. My throat is sore.
My eyes are blurry, as I wait for my God. (Psalm 69:1-3)

One thing that I learned from all of those shows from when I was a kid, that showed falling into quicksand and the danger of falling into quicksand, is the fact that you need to be calm. You can’t wrestle around, you can’t struggle. Otherwise you’re going to sink faster. And ultimately you need someone to throw you a rope to help you out. And that’s what King David is doing here in this psalm. He’s calling upon God. Throw me a rope. I need you Lord to help me out.

And this is the prayer also that we join with King David in praying today as we feel overwhelmed in our lives. King David goes on to say

But I direct my prayer to you, O Lord, for a time of favor.
God, in the greatness of your mercy,
answer me with the certainty of salvation from you. (Psalm 69:13)

Instead of wrestling around, instead of making things worse, King David encourages us to turn to God and to seek his certain salvation. Know that God desires to rescue us. That’s why God went to all the work of sending his Son into this world to become our brother, to live a life of perfect righteousness, a life of righteousness that he now shares with you and me, so that it’s our righteousness. It’s why Jesus Christ went to the cross to take our sins upon himself so that we won’t sink down to our death in that muck, in that quicksand. He rescues us.

What comfort that gives to us and especially now in this time as we deal with all of these worries around us God directs us to turn to him as King David did and to seek his help. And he is happy to offer that help and to rescue us. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, as there become times in our lives where we feel so overwhelmed we ask you to come and rescue us. Remind us of your salvation and of the work of our Savior Jesus to rescue us. Help us get through these difficult times in our lives and keep us always heavenly minded remembering the joy that you have for us in our certain future. We pray this all in Jesus name, amen.

Lord’s blessings on your week.