Zeal for your house

Meditations on Psalm 69

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.
Psalm 69 shows a weary King David calling out to God in his despair. His situation is akin to a man close to drowning in deep waters, with nothing to hold on to. He calls to God until his throat is dry, and he looks in vain for God. Looking and  Calling  are two important parts of our relationship with God. In our times of despair, we must never stop calling out to God for help in the honesty of our heart, and never stop looking for the evidence of his deliverance, just like David did.
 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 know my folly, O God;
       my guilt is not hidden from you.
 ⁶ May those who hope in you
       not be disgraced because of me,
       O Lord, the LORD Almighty;
       may those who seek you
       not be put to shame because of me,
       O God of Israel.
David continues to cry out to God to save him from enemies who assail him without cause. Yet even in his turmoil, David takes time to acknowledge his sin before God. And in his trouble, David is still concerned about others -  those brothers who might be disgraced. We need to learn to be humble and acknowledge our sins before God, and also even in our despair, be concerned about others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.
 ⁷ For I endure scorn for your sake,
       and shame covers my face.
 ⁸ I am a stranger to my brothers,
       an alien to my own mother's sons;
 ⁹ for zeal for your house consumes me,
       and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
The verse “for zeal for your house consumes me” was fulfilled by our Lord Jesus when He cleared the temple courts from the “den of robbers”. Passion for God’s honor must always be a key part of our lives.
 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, O LORD,
       in the time of your favor;
       in your great love, O God,
       answer me with your sure salvation
Here we see that a period of genuine weeping and fasting makes way for a time of God’s favor, where God shows His great love and His salvation. There is a time always for us to fast and pray and weep before God and God surely will answer with His favor. 
May the Lord help us:-

1)      Learn to Look for Him and Call to Him in our time of trouble

2)      Acknowledge our sins to Him humbly

3)      Be concerned for others even in our troubles

4)      Be always passionate for God’s honor

5)      Learn at times to weep and fast before God