What do you do when you are in real trouble? When you see no way out of a seemingly impossible situation?
What do you do when depression seems to be overwhelming you like a flood? When you feel you are about to drown in fear, anxiety, or hopelessness? When you are so tired of holding on?
Sometimes all you can do is cry out, “God, I need You now!” That’s what this Psalm is all about.
Psalm 69 written by Dawud in the Zabur (excerpts):
Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
looking for my God.
Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink. . .
Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
Come near and rescue me. . .
Below is a more modern song – a prayer – of real desperation.
Are you desperate?
Cry out. . .then trust. . .in a good and a great God.
Quran —The Opening.
In the name of God, the infinitely Compassionate and Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of all the worlds.
The Compassionate, the Merciful.
Master on the Day of Reckoning.
You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help.
Guide us on the straight path,
the path of those who have received your grace;
not the path of those who have brought down wrath,
nor of those who wander astray.
My Anonymous Muslim Friend, yes, I have seen this famous opening Sura. Thank you! It is great to share verses with each other – to learn what the other treasures from their book. “The straight path” is a Bible concept as well:
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.