Read Psalm 69:1-12

            We all have them.  They are different sizes and shapes.  Some are very heavy and weigh us down so much that we have difficulty getting out of bed in the morning or even functioning during the day – if we do make it out bed.  Some of these are invisible to those around us.  Many are old from years past, yet we are unable to take them off.  Some are lighter and easier to move around with or even dispense with.  Some do not even belong to us, though we carry them.  I speak of the burdens we carry each day.  Often we just do not know what to do with those burdens.  Yet with each one we need HELP. 

            David knows exactly what he needs to do with his burdens.  In Psalm 69, he begins lamenting all his troubles to God.   He spreads  them all out before God.  Not only that, David pleads and protests with God.  And in doing that he is even encouraged to plead for more help and deliverance.  After that the pleading, even the unloading of his burdens, starts all over again.  It’s like – “oh yea – and that reminds me about  . . . .” and he launches into another round of unloading his burden unto God. 

            David, of course, writes of his own experiences, thoughts and feelings.  God’s intent, on the other hand, I believe, is that this Psalm is for every one of us.   Our burdens might look and feel different, but we know what it is like to carry, live and breathe our own burdens.

            At this point, the reality for David is that he is a prisoner, along with some of his people.  He is in exile.  And he believes he has become the butt of jokes in Israel.   At times it sounds like David could be overstating his own innocence.  Everything has fallen apart.  “It’s not my fault,” he whines.  How like David we are.  We get trapped, even taken prisoner by others’ ideas, agenda or our own misguidedness.  Other’s talk about us.  Point. Blame us. We say, “Don’t be blaming me.” Or “Hey, it’s not my fault, God.” 

At other times it seems the trouble David describes is real and his feelings justified.  Life as it is, is just too much for him.   He carries his own burden, the burden of those around him, the enemy and the burden of all his people, the Israelites.  David is in a deep depression.  We can identify with David when he says he has sunk into the miry depths of life. 

In his book The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan expresses the reality of the miry depths as being in the Sough of Despond.    The narrator is Bunyan himself.  Christian, who represents each of us, is the main character.   Pilgrim is on a journey from the City of Destruction to the heavenly Holy City. 

Christian’s current walking companion on the journey is PLIABLE.  Pliable is the type who goes along with whichever way the wind blows.  Pliable wants them to quicken their walking pace.

Christian says, “I cannot go as fast as I would, by reason of this burden that is on my back.”

The narrator says, “Now I saw in my dream, that just as they had ended this talk, they drew nigh to a very miry slough that was in the midst of the plain.  And they, being heedless, did both fall suddenly into the bog.  The name of the slough was Despond.  Here, they wallowed for a time, being grievously bedaubed with the dirt.  And Christian, because of the burden that was on his back, began to sink in the mire.”

Then said Pliable, “Ah, neighbor Christian, where are you now?”  “Truly,” said Christian, “I do not know.”  At this Pliable gets offended.  And in a huff and a desperate struggle or two, and gets out of the mire on that side of the slough which was next to his own house.  So we presume he goes back home and back to his old ways.  And he sees Christian no more.

“Wherefore, Christian was left to tumble in the Slough of Despond alone.  But still he endeavored to struggle to that side of the slough that was farthest from his own house, and next to the wicket-gate (leading to the heavenly holy city).  (Even as he got this far,) he could not get out (of the mire) because of the burden that was upon his back.”

We know what it is like to be in the depths of the slough of despondency.  In our own lives, there are times life is that overwhelming.  If we could just get a foothold we would be alright; we could just keep our head above water and our heart still beating.  This feeling of despair has sat with some here.  That despondency still lingers with others.   When health issues and concerns hit, the bills come in.  On top of that, we all have the general economic situation.  Then there are specific problems with children, spouse, jobs and money that creep in around us.   There is the very real threat for some of losing homes.   All this is worse than drowning, because the problems cling to us, and suck the very life out of us.  And add to that, or even by itself, some continue to carry burdens from the past.   This is all a slow, painful and suffering death because there is a decisive pulling under from which there seems no hope of surviving.  We find that we join with David in that deep depression.  We sink in the miry depths where there is no foothold. 

“To some this is a picture of the powers of chaos and death – even of hell and its sphere of influence.  It is a vivid picture of separation from Jesus.   It is also a real picture of life being lived.  The Burden we carry on our backs, literally in our hearts and minds, keeps us in that miry depth and prevents us getting out…and forward on our journey.  All that is left is to cry to God to save us.  And we are not always sure that will help.

But we do cry.  We cry out in praying.  And we become weary with crying.  Interesting that David is not weary OF the crying – but by it - with the crying.  This is the crying that is pleading with God.  In this crying we can’t help but ask, “How long, God, how long before you hear and answer?  How long before things change?”    But we persevere, even if through crying and praying. This is praying from a depth of pain and suffering we would rather not experience.  This is the pleading, crying, praying that brings on weariness, and that reaches the very soul.  

And then in this passage David switches from crying out his innocence to knowing when he has done wrong.  So we switch as well.  We do know when we have done wrong.  And more importantly, we know that God knows our wrongs.  They are not hidden from God.  This is when we say like David, “It’s all my fault.  But, please God, protect others from my stupidity.  Protect them from what I have done.  Don’t keep them from You or Your kingdom because of me.” 

Our concern should always be:  What will happen to those around me, to God’s people – especially the unbeliever or the new Christian – because of something I do or say.   We do not want another person to lose hope in Jesus because of us.  This means that as Christians, as people and leaders in His church, we want to be always diligent in trying to be Christ-like in what we say, do, and who we are.  Because those around us do take notice.  God utilizes us in all situations, even when we are in the miry depths. 

Oh, but wait David wants revenge.  Not so Godly, but certainly honest.  He calls on God to eke out that revenge.  Verses 22-28 make some of our own prayers seem like child’s verse.  Read verses 22-28.

I wonder how surprised we would be to know that some here have at one time or another prayed something just as specific.  Sometimes we think we want bad things to happen to bad people.  David is scorned.  He is   disgraced and shamed.    So David wants God to literally “turn the table” on his enemies.  He wants God to punish his powerful accusers.  And David wants God to reward the “humble” and “needy” people – like himself.  What can be too severe a punishment for those who reject God or God’s own servant, and refuse to obey God’s own commands?  We, like David, say they deserve to be flooded with wrath.  They should not be given the gifts of reason and understanding.  We certainly don’t want the enemy to have strength and power.  David in his impassioned prayer goes to the length that he wants God’s wrath to not only be on the current enemies – but also on their children – for generations to come.  Then David goes for the jugular.  He prays that God take away His Holy Spirit from them altogether.  He wants to be sure that they may never seek God in repentance nor forgiveness.  This is so severe a request that he asks that they be blotted – removed – from the Book of the Living – never to be included with the saints. 

Alrighty then. Whew!  David must feel better!  I wonder how God feels.  Or was that us we just read about in this Psalm!  Is there any part of the burden being lifted from us having said it out loud?  Well, verse 29 is the turning point in David’s prayer and pleading.   Read verse 29.

David has unloaded it all on God.  In the process he has been dealt with by God.  David has spewed it all out.  David has even told God how to be God, and how to do God’s business!  Now David humbly approaches God; and offers himself to God.  He offers himself with the sacrifice of a broken and humble heart.  It is in this meekness of spirit David longs to obtain favor with God, to not be separated from God.  May it be so for each of us.

The remainder of the Psalm is of the comfort and thanksgiving that David has longed for earlier.  This is an expression of holy joy and praise after all the lamenting and complaining and listings of griefs.  The burden has begun to be removed and laid at God’ feet.  David is still physically in prison – in exile.  But now David begins to joyfully adore God once again...in his situation.  Read verses 30-36.

We know from the earlier books of the Old Testament that in Hebrew religion tradition, the sacrifice of the finest livestock was highly valued.  This was highly valued not only by those who did the sacrificing but also by God Who told them what He wanted by way of sacrifices.  But this kind of offering is impossible for those in exile, like David and the others in captivity.  The poor would not be able to offer this valuable sacrifice.  God has them all covered.  He has us covered.  God proclaims through David and His Word that He is far more concerned with the heart than with any external sacrifice.  We often tend to look at the talents, offerings, and contributions of others.  Then we think that what we have to offer is not as good as someone else’s.  Because of the burdens we carry, we believe we are not worthy.  God tells us that not only are we worthy but that He desires US; our love, our hearts.  The gift, or sacrifice, of ourselves is exactly what God wants. 

                As we wholeheartedly pray – wholeheartedly turn everything in our lives over to God we gift God with ourselves.  We sacrifice our hearts and lives to God.  This prayer then begins to be a matter of unburdening our heart, of growing into health and wholeness of life, and holy-ness with God. 

            But remember, we left poor Pilgrim on his own journey.  But he is stuck in the miry depths. Bunyan narrates:  But I beheld in my dream, that a man came to Christian, whose name was HELP, and asked him what he did there.

            “Sir,” said Christian, “I was bid to go this way by a man called Evangelist (get the book, read it, you will understand), who directed me also to yonder gate, that I might escape the wrath to come.  And as I was going there, I fell in here.”  Help asks, “But why did not you look for the steps?”  “Fear followed me so hard,” said Christian, “that I fled the next way, and fell in.”  Then Help said, “Give me your hand.”  So he gave him his hand, and Help drew him out.  And he set him upon sound ground and bid him go on his way.

            Then I stepped to him that plucked him out, and said, “Sir, wherefore, since over this place is the way from the city of Destruction to yonder  gate, is it that this place is not mended, that poor travelers might go there with more security?”  And he said unto me, “This miry slough is such a place as cannot be mended.  It is the descent where the scum and filth that attends conviction for sin doth continually run and therefore it is called the Slough of Despond.  And then he says:  “It is not the pleasure of the King that this place should remain so bad. . . .

            It is not the pleasure of Jesus our King, our Help, for us to remain separated from Him, pulled down by the burdens we live with.   He wants to grasp unto our outstretched hand to Him, so He can pull us closer to Him, and set us on sound ground - Himself.

Christ’s hand of Help may look differently to each of us at different times.  It could be spending time in solitude and prayer with Jesus.   Help could look like the people in your small group, or the Christian friend with whom you regularly have coffee.   Help could be the people on a ministry team or the person who will pray for you after each worship service.  Help came in the way of a mistaken cell phone call to a college girl. Jessica Duchanin, who was sinking deeper and deeper in the mire.  And that mistaken phone call was a direct hit from God to her through Kristin pushing the wrong button on her cell phone.    To another young person, Shannon Van Vorst, Help was just knowing there are many people in this church family praying for her and her many situations.  A young college man with a scary health issue called a youth pastor and was touch by Help. That outreach hand of Jesus’ Help could be a bag/basket of food donated by you at the Thanksgiving dinner and delivered to another in need.  So many times it seems the psalms are pretty theoretical until crises like the local fires here Southern California hit.  So Help looks like a friend or a stranger offering a place to sleep or some food to eat.  Help looks like a fire fighter now.  There are so many ways God uses to shower His Help in relieving your burden and lifting you closer to Him.  We might remain in prison like David, but this is how Jesus not only connects us to God and closer to Him, He connects us to each other.  And so we are able to rejoice and adore Jesus for the work He is doing in Helping each of us. . . for being our Help!

Please stand and let’s sing together our closing hymn – Joyful, Joyful We adore Thee.