“The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.”

Psalm 69:33-36

As you read the psalm, watch for ‘I’ statements, ‘you’ statements, and ‘they’ statements. The psalmist brings his troubles to God in ‘I’ statements, mostly in verses 1–13, although they are mixed with ‘you’ statements, since the psalm is a prayer. ‘You’ statements are more prominent in verses 14–20, as he calls on God to rescue him. ‘They’ statements occur throughout the psalm, but are prominent in verses 22–28, where the psalmist asks God to condemn his enemies. The tone changes in verse 30, where the psalmist seems to recognize that God has heard his prayer and resolves to bring words of praise and thanksgiving. The last few verses probably refer to the return from exile in Babylon, applying God’s answer to the psalm to all God’s people. In the face of injustice, trust that God will deal justly with those who commit atrocities against others.

CLOSING PRAYER

My God, I look to you to expose the darkest areas of my heart. With the psalmist, I pray and trust you to answer me: “for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.” (v 16).

(Edited from Encounter with God)