Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. (Ps. 69:16)
Expanded Passage: Psalm 69:14-18
“I can do it myself.” Raising little children is both daunting and rewarding. I loved the years of getting to cuddle, snuggle, and meet their every need, but time does not stop and the next thing I knew, I heard, “I can do it myself.” Parents often long for the day their children meet the next milestone in life, but when it comes to the I-can-do-it-myself stage, something inside me longed to go back to when they needed me for everything. Adult children still need help, a little wisdom from having been there and done that, but the help is in different ways.
David knew whom to turn to for help. He knew the goodness and great mercy of God. He depended on God. Having been in the mire and muck that came from having others’ hatred beat him down, David knew how that left the condition of his soul. He did not want that experience again. Instead, he called on the Lord to lift him up out of it before he went under.
We cannot do life all by ourselves at any age. Just as we respond with assistance when our adult children ask for help or advice, so God responds to us in our need.
Depend on God to be independent from self.
Carol Jimerson is a wife, mother and grandmother who loves writing, the outdoors, and mentoring. She is an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church, Penn York District.
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
