Draw Near to Me, O Lord

Acts of Worship
Stewardship for Life

Feasting and Fasting

Psalm 69:5-18  The Message

⁵ God, you know every sin I’ve committed;
My life’s a wide-open book before you.

⁶ Don’t let those who look to you in hope
Be discouraged by what happens to me,
Dear Lord! God of the armies!

Don’t let those out looking for you
Come to a dead end by following me—
Please, dear God of Israel!

⁷ Because of you I look like an idiot,
I walk around ashamed to show my face.

⁸ My brothers shun me like a bum off the street;
My family treats me like an unwanted guest.

⁹ I love you more than I can say.
Because I’m madly in love with you,
They blame me for everything they dislike about you.

¹⁰ When I poured myself out in prayer and fasting,
All it got me was more contempt.

¹¹ When I put on a sad face,
They treated me like a clown.

¹² Now drunks and gluttons
Make up drinking songs about me.

¹³ And me? I pray.
God, it’s time for a break!

God, answer in love!
Answer with your sure salvation!

¹⁴ Rescue me from the swamp,
Don’t let me go under for good,

Pull me out of the clutch of the enemy;
This whirlpool is sucking me down.

¹⁵ Don’t let the swamp be my grave, the Black Hole
Swallow me, its jaws clenched around me.

¹⁶ Now answer me, God, because you love me;
Let me see your great mercy full-face.

¹⁷ Don’t look the other way; your servant can’t take it.
I’m in trouble. Answer right now!

¹⁸ Come close, God; get me out of here.
Rescue me from this deathtrap.

 
For Reflection
What you believe is telegraphed by how you act. What choices you make; the quality of relationships you build; your tendency to react to events in ways contrary to the conventional wisdom, the common culture, all signal the integrity of your belief and practice.  You have been admired for it and despised for it.  For some, it makes you trustworthy; for others, treacherous.  Contempt may follow you.  The Way is not always easy, but, it is always consistent with God's intention for humankind.

Pray

prayers of lamentation when the culture closes in on you.  Pray prayers confessing your weakness in the face of the ungodly.  Pray prayers adoration and praise when others would curse.  Pray prayers of supplication and intersession when life overwhelms you.  Pray authentically to deepen your relationship to the living God.