13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable time;
O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness,
Answer me with [h]Your saving truth.
14 Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink;
May I be delivered from [i]my foes and from the [j]deep waters.
15 May the [k]flood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.16 Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,
17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in distress; answer me quickly.
18 Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it;
Ransom me because of my enemies!
19 You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor;
All my adversaries are [l]before You.20 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick.
And I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found none.
21 They also gave me [m]gall [n]for my food
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Once more David cries out to God for deliverance, and again see familiar bits from the crucifixion story. It’s somewhat fitting, given that Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are coming soon. But verse 19 caught my eye this morning, as David says “You know my reproach…” As he prays and pours out his heart, he realizes God already knows what he is going through.
Even further, as we look to the cross of Jesus, He knows what we are going through, and He has experienced it as well. What then, do we stay quiet because we don’t need to tell God what he already knows? I don’t think so, not if the psalms teach us anything. God still wants to hear from his children, and prayer does something else unexpected.
When we pray for God’s rescue and deliverance, or whatever we might pray for, our hearts begin to align with his will. That is, unless our prayers are completely selfish. But when we begin to pray for God to move in our lives, we find his lovingkindness and saving truth have been there all the time. He will not let us sink in the mud, and he’s not even surprised that we are in the mud.
God sees us right where we are, and his heart is with us at all times, waiting for us at an instant. Don’t be silent, let your requests be made known to God, and then wait. Look for his heart, look for his plan, look for his guiding hand, and you will find comfort. Even when no one else is there, you will find He is with you still, right in the muck alongside, ready to carry you if needed, but leading you each and every step.