Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. Psalms 69:1-2
The Psalmist (in this case King David) paints a very vivid word picture with these verses as he describes the way his life seems to be going at the time. To sum it up, he feels like he has nothing solid to stand on and so he feels as if he is sinking. At the same time, the water all around him is rising. To illustrate where he feels like he is in this process, he compares it to the water being up to his neck. In other words, it’s as bad as it can get — if the water rises any more or he sinks any lower, he will drown.
Sometimes life can seem so overwhelming, you could read these words and know exactly where David is coming from. You may feel as if you are up to your neck in the challenges of life and at the same time, your foundation which should be so sure and steadfast seems to be more like a bog or even quicksand! You feel as if you are in deep waters and there is no way out.
As the Psalm continues, David shows us the way out of the sinking sand and onto the solid rock. First, he looks to the Lord as his deliverer; his savior. We see this in the beginning of the Psalm. “Save me, O God!” Never hesitate to be honest with the Lord (He already knows anyway so it would be pointless and even detrimental to pretend as if all is well when talking to the Lord). So, cry out to God for help and let Him know you are up to your neck in life. Remember, Jesus came to the earth and went through life, facing the challenges and struggles you go through; yet without sin.
That brings us to the second step in David’s approach to deliverance here; get things right with the Lord. If there is something in your life that has you in such deep water, confess it and forsake it so that you can get back to where you need to be with the Lord.
Next, be specific in your requests. David asked for God’s deliverance and help concerning the things in his life that were getting him down. It is important to not only identify what you are battling but also to address it by name when you are praying and beseeching God for His help. But, what if you realize you have gotten yourself into this quagmire, how can you expect the Lord’s help in getting out of it? Like David, you cry out to God for His mercy and thank Him for His salvation. Acknowledge that His lovingkindness is good.
The Bible never promises you a life that is trouble-free. Instead, the Lord does give you His word that He will never leave you or forsake you. That means, when the waters are up to your neck and it seems as if you are going under, you are going to see God move in a mighty way on your behalf; if you deal with the deep waters the way David did!
And how does this story end? We can’t just leave it with David (or with you) neck-deep in the waters of life and sinking fast. God came through for David and He will always come through for you when you cry out to Him, get things right and ask God specifically for the help you need. That’s what to do when the waters of life are up to your neck!
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