阅读经文 

想象一下，在《圣经》中的《诗篇》被写下时，你是一名水手或捕鱼队的一员。水对你的生计很重要，但也会威胁到你。河流、湖泊或海洋的水也可能会变得危险和不安定。暴风雨的风浪会让人害怕，大雨会带来危险的、破坏性的洪水。

《诗篇》六十九篇用这种意象来描述麻烦和困难，这些麻烦和困难有可能把神所赐我们生命的美和秩序变成混乱。我们自己的罪和别人的罪会扰乱我们的生活，以至于我们会觉得自己被淹没了。

我们当中有些人从经验中知道面对洪水或海上的风暴是什么感觉。我们所有人都看到我们自己的生活和我们周围的世界受到破坏性的威胁，包括破碎的关系、成瘾、暴力、分裂和疾病。

当我们受到这种混乱的威胁时，我们可以向神呼求帮助。《诗篇》第六十九篇的作者祷告说：“神啊，求祢按祢丰盛的慈爱，凭祢拯救的诚实应允我。”神的拯救确实是诚实的，哪怕在我们感到害怕的时候。罪恶和破碎的威胁之水最终不会将我们淹没，因为神应许保护我们的安全。

Imagine being a sailor or part of a fishing crew at the time the biblical psalms were written. The waters are important for your livelihood, but they can also threaten you. The waters of a river, lake, or sea can turn dangerous and chaotic. Stormy waves can be scary, and heavy rains can bring dangerous, destructive flooding.

Psalm 69 uses this imagery to describe troubles and hardship that threaten to turn God's beauty and order in our lives into chaos. Our own sin and the sins of others can disrupt our lives so much that it can feel like we are drowning.

Some of us know from experience what it's like to deal with flooding or with a storm at sea. And all of us have seen destructive threats to our own lives and in the world around us through broken relationships, addiction, violence, division, and disease.

When we are threatened by such chaos, we can cry to God for help. The writer of Psalm 69 prays, "In your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation." God's salvation is sure indeed, even when we feel afraid. The threatening waters of sin and brokenness will not overwhelm us in the end, because God promises to keep us safe.