Psalm 69-70

“Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none …” (69:20). The psalmist expressed his emotional despair with total honesty, hiding nothing. He trusted the Lord could save him from shame and alienation just as from a physical battle. “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck” (v1).  This salvation, the psalm hints, would eventually take the form of the suffering Messiah (v9,21), who carried humanity’s burdens. 

“But I am poor and needy … You are my help” (70:5).  We are invited to take our pain directly to the Lord. Jesus experienced suffering so that, united with Him, we can experience God’s healing, restoring power.