Scripture Union Daily Discovery 13th September 2020 – Sure Salvation
TODAY’S TOPIC: SURE SALVATION
Opening Prayer: Speak to me through Your Word, my Lord.
Read Psalm 69
Psalm 69[a] For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.
1 Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.
5 You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you.
6 Lord, the Lord Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
Scripture Union Daily Discovery 13th September 2020 – Sure Salvation
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
10 When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
11 when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards.
13 But I pray to you, Lord,
in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
answer me with your sure salvation.
14 Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
21 They put gall in my food
and gave me vinegar for my thirst.
22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and[b] a trap.
23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.
29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.
30 I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
32 The poor will see and be glad—
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and all that move in them,
35 for God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants will inherit it,
and those who love his name will dwell there.
Footnotes
a Psalm 69:1 In Hebrew texts 69:1-36 is numbered 69:2-37.
b Psalm 69:22 Or snare / and their fellowship become
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect: Scripture Union Daily Discovery 13th September 2020
Do you feel close to God or far from him today?
Today’s psalm acknowledges the seasons of life when things aren’t going right, when we aren’t able to brush off the insults and threats we receive. Yet despite all of his troubles, the psalmist knows where to turn for solace and for salvation: the Lord.
Notice that regardless of all that is going wrong: all of the trials in his life and God’s apparent silence and inaction, the psalmist never doubts God’s existence, his power, or his love. When God seems distant, it is all too easy to start to doubt him. Even if we are certain of his existence, we sometimes question his character. Is he good? Is he trustworthy? Can he really help? Does he love me?
Psalms like this are a beautiful model of what it looks like to be completely honest about our reality but to completely rely on God. The psalmist doesn’t pretend that everything is fine; he is totally honest with God and with others about his situation. But he grounds it all in the reality of God’s love and his “sure salvation” (13).
Apply: What is your experience of God’s presence and character in hard times? You may find Romans 8:18–39 helpful.
Closing Prayer: Talk to God honestly and ask him to reveal the truth to you.
Through the Bible in One Year
Isaiah 25,26 / Psalm 105
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Scripture Union Daily Discovery 12th September 2020
