There’s No Shame in Crying out to God, especially when You’re Suffering on His Behalf

Psalm 69:1.        Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul (neck).

It’s Tuesday friends, and thankfully it’s another bright and sunshiny spring-like day with temps in positive double figures, and all the snow has finally melted. Thank God! I can now see the dry grass on the ground and the floor of the deck at the back of my house, which was once covered with snow over a foot high, making it risky to open my back door. Some trees are even starting to push out some buds. But please, let’s not get carried away, it’s only the tenth of March and winter is certainly not over. And soon we’ll be back enjoying the cold weather. (smile) But it’s surely nice to have a break in between.

And today we’ll have a look at Psalm 69, ‘A Cry for Help.’ It was a time of ‘sufferation’ for Bruh David and he cries out to God. ‘Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul (neck). I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away (did not steal)…

Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face. I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children. For the zeal of (for) thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to (became) my reproach. I made sackcloth also to my garment (a symbol of sorrow); and I became a proverb (byword) to them. They that sit in the gate (sit as judges) speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.’ (Ps. 69:1-4, 7-12)

And according to the scholars: ‘This psalm gives extensive expression to one of the major themes of the psalms: undeserved suffering. In this case, the suffering has come largely from the psalmist’s steadfastness in his commitment to the Lord.’  Yes my fellow believers, when we are steadfast in our commitment to the Lord we will indeed face tough times. And many men of God have gone through undeserved suffering just because of their faith. People like Moses, Elijah, Isaiah and Jeremiah. They were all doing the Lord’s work, but suffered unnecessarily because of it.

And the same thing is liable to happen to those of us who stand strong and steadfast in God’s name in these modern times. Jesus said it very clearly: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33) And people like James have written of such tribulation thus. ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (various trials); Knowing this, that the trying (testing) of your faith worketh (produces) patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire (complete), wanting (lacking) nothing.’ (James 1:2-4)

Now that’s easier said than done! Consequently, listen to this interesting comment from the scholars. ‘Negative experiences are to be accepted with great joy, not for the sake of the trial itself but because of the positive work God can accomplish through the testing. The words in verses 2 and 3 (temptations and trying) are often regarded as virtually synonymous. If this were true, then trials themselves would produce spiritual maturity. But they do not. Often, testings make Christians bitter instead of better, with no spiritual growth occurring. The Greek word for “trying” (dokimion) might be better translated as “approving.” It is not merely one’s presence in such trials but one’s victory over them that brings spiritual growth and maturity. Those Christians whom God can use the most are those whom God has bruised the most.’  

And is that ever true! For many of those used by God down through the ages have been well bruised, both before and during their work on God’s behalf. The most prominent example of that being God’s most important worker; Jesus Christ. I guess the reasoning is that if you’re not bruised, you cannot fully understand the problems and sufferings of others.

And to top James’ philosophy, Peter then declares: ‘Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the forward (harsh). For this is thankworthy (commendable), if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted (beaten) for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with (commendable before) God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did not sin, neither was guile (deceit) found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again (in return); when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:’ (1 Pet. 2:18-23)

Ah mih people, that’s the kind of example we’re expected to follow as disciples of Jesus. And though that becomes more difficult as our world becomes more evil and ungodly, the effort is necessary if we’re to be true disciples of Jesus. And hopefully, this scripture from Bruh Paul to Timothy, might mitigate it some. ‘It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer (endure) we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not (are faithless), yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.’ (2 Tim. 2:11-13)

Yes mih bredrin, suffering for and with Christ here on earth, means also living and rejoicing with Him in eternity! And considering the short time limit to our possible suffering and the infinite extent to our rejoicing, that should help us bear the earthly trials and tribulations with a better attitude. (smile) Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And now friends, we’re duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…suffering on God’s behalf…is an expected circumstance in a believer’s life…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Christ’s Church Coming Together to Provide Successful Resistance to the Enemy!

James 2:17.       Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

‘Hot town, summer in the city…the back of my neck getting dirty and gritty!’ Yes friends that what it’s been like for the past week, and most likely what it will be like for the next couple of days. The oppressive heat is causing all kinds of illnesses. And then we have the numerous forest fires burning around the country and around the world…it surely seems like hell on earth.

And if this weather and all the other negative stuff that’s happening doesn’t turn you off of hell and have you running at breakneck speed to Jesus, then I’d say that something is definitely wrong with your mind. (smile) For if this is only a small inkling of what hell will be like, then why would I want to go there eh? No reason whatsoever! So please, let’s take this as a warning from our heavenly Father, to wake us up and get our prerogatives and perspectives straight and in order before it’s too late.

And furthermore, none of the strife and anguish that’s taking place right now on Mother Earth is lessening or getting better, but instead, every day seems to bring a new theatre of strife and anguish to the forefront of our already chaotic and disaster laden world. And I guess like Bruh David in Psalm 69, we should be crying out to the Lord for help in these days of undeserved suffering for many. And what was his petition?

He cried out: ‘Save me O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul (neck). I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while wait for my God.’ (Ps, 69:1-3) And sadly friends, that is what’s happening to a large portion of today’s world population. We’re in over our heads, for one reason or another, and we’re crying out for help every day, from one god or another, but no help seems to be forthcoming.

The chaos on the earth just keeps getting worse. And why is that? Who knows? The grab for unvarnished dictatorial power and greed for ever more money is all over, and we can’t seem to stand up strong against it. And that goes doubly for Christ’s church, which was meant to be a bulwark for LOVE and freedom. But how can we stand strong against the enemy when we’re separated, totally divided by all sorts of petty differences and dissensions, with so many denominations and sub groups that refuse to interact with each other, which leaves us like sitting ducks ripe for the taking.

Satan doesn’t even have to divide us, for we have created the divisions for him. He simply has to conquer us. I believe, that in these trying and most difficult times, the church is required to put up sincere and strong resistance against the evil enemy. That’s what Christ died for. Remember what He said to Nicodemus? ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:17)

And He died for that very purpose. As Bruh Paul writes to the Ephesians: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:8) So Christ did what He came to earth for, but the problem is that He cannot save the world by Himself, that’s why He needs disciples, people like us who believe in Him and what He stands for and are prepared to stand strong and steadfast in the faith, even to the death, to serve His purpose and plan.

Unfortunately though, the church as a whole, seems to be fighting against itself and not so much against the enemy. Meanwhile, many individual believers seem to have lost their way, and no longer seem to care about what’s happening in our world, or we are simply tired of fighting the seemingly unassailable odds, thus our salt has lost its flavour, and our light has grown dim. But let’s take a moment on this hot and sweltering Monday morning in late July of 2025, to contemplate what will happen if we give up the fight for Christ’s way of life.

And then let’s remember His Great Invitation, which He issued to all and sundry, and which still stands: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly (gentle and humble) in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Yes my fellow believers, we’ve got to get back to the basics and refresh ourselves, so that we can continue fighting the good fight in Jesus’ name, for we cannot ever give up.

And to help us do that, let’s go right now to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid in these turbulent times. Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

And yes, praying is necessary, but until we take up all the tools we have and take serious and sincere action on Jesus’ behalf, we’ll just be wasting our prayers. Much LOVE!

…even so…faith…if it hath not works…is dead…being alone… (James 2:17)

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   24 June 2023 Psalm 69:32b.

Psalm 69:32b.     …and your heart shall live that seek God.

And after a somewhat drizzly Friday evening, we’ve ended up with a cloudy lazy-day Saturday. But nothing’s wrong with that, because it’s the kind of weather that induces laziness. (smile) Sadly though, I’ve used up my share of laziness, so let’s get to the Father’s business and begin with our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

As one lazy, but sincere voice:  ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

Oh friends, how I do LOVE that prayer! LOVE the eloquence within its simplicity! It doesn’t get hifalutin, but it does say a lot, and a lot of the right things in ordinary everyday language. And that’s how we truly ought to pray; with simple words that come from the very depths of our hearts, for that’s the kind of communication I believe our God favours. And in my search for today’s topic, the Good Library just opened unto the book of Psalms, Psalm 69 in particular, Bruh David’s cry to his God for help. 

And the scholars have a most interesting explanation on it. They say, ‘This psalm gives extensive expression to one of the major themes of the psalms: undeserved suffering. In this case, the suffering has come largely from the psalmist’s steadfastness in his commitment to the Lord. Because of this popular and needed motif, the psalm became a favourite of the New Testament writers who quote it frequently: verse 4 (John 15:25), verse 9 (John 2:17; Rom. 15:3), verses 22-23 (Rom. 11:9-10), verse 25 Acts 1:20).’ 

Wow! It must have been a real popular psalm to be found so often in the New Testament writings. And I’ll suggest you check out those references yourselves, I just did, and they are interesting, showing just how important the Old Testament was to the New Testament. And the scholars continue their explanation thus: ‘The content of the psalm may best be viewed topically. It contains David’s lament (vs. 1-4, 10-12, 19-21), his protestation of innocence (vs, 5-9), his petition (vs. 13-18, 22-29), and his vow of thanksgiving to be offered upon deliverance (vs. 30-36).’ 

And now that we have some idea of what the psalm is about, let’s check out some of Bruh David’s actual words. (smile) And he opens the psalm thus: ‘Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul (neck). I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away (did not steal).’ (Ps. 69:1-4) 

Now that seems like a lament many of us today can make, but whether it’s through our steadfastness to God or because of our own unfaithfulness, that’s another question. Many of us though are in the mire of evil and darkness that’s clouding our world so deep, right up to our very necks, a moment away from drowning, that the only person who can truly help us is Almighty God. But for whatever reason(s), we stubbornly refuse to cry out to Him for help. Why? I don’t really know. But these words of Bruh David ought to wake us up to the reality of the situation. ‘O God, thou knowest my foolishness, and my sins are not hid from thee.’ (Ps. 69:5) 

And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! Then why are we still so reluctant to cry out to our heavenly Father for help, when He is the ONLY ONE who has the power, grace and mercy to raise up out of the mire in which we’ve unfortunately found ourselves? It amazes and mystifies me when we refuse to ask for help when our own efforts are insufficient to get us out of our problems. There’s no help to be had from the evil one because his objective is for us to sink deeper and deeper into the morass of sin and darkness. 

So who are we going to cry out to for help eh? ‘Ghostbusters’, as the popular song of yesteryear says. (smile) Definitely not! But to Jehovah God, our Creator and Controller, our Provider and Source of Refuge! That’s whom! But we first have to swallow our foolish pride and realize that without Jesus Christ, we’re at Satan’s mercy, and that’s not a very good place to be. And these words of Bruh David when he petitions the Lord to draw nigh and redeem his soul, ought to be helpful in our predicament. 

‘But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters….Hear me, O Lord; for thy LOVING-kindness is good: turn unto me according to thy tender mercies. And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily (quickly). Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.’ (Ps. 69:13-14, 16-18) 

Oh friends, those are words that ought to resonate powerfully within our souls and bodies in these difficult and dangerous times! And we’ll bypass Bruh David’s petition for the fate of his enemies, and go straight to his promise of thanksgiving and praise. 

‘But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. The humble shall see this and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners. Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein. For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession. The seed (descendants) also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that LOVE his name shall dwell therein.’ (Ps. 69:29-36) 

And there we go from lamentation to triumph, when we call upon the Lord our God! And possibly the most important phrase in that whole psalm are these few words of our Bit: ‘…and your heart shall live that seek God.’ Please friends, let’s not forget them, let’s write them indelibly in our hearts, minds, souls and bodies, as they are the very reason for our living, for our earthly existence! Much LOVE!

…only by seeking God…can our souls be saved… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ