Rescue me from the mud;
don’t let me sink any deeper!
Save me from those who hate me,
and pull me from these deep waters.
Don’t let the floods overwhelm me,
or the deep waters swallow me,
or the pit of death devour me.
Psalm 69:14-15

Read: Psalm 69:1-18, Matthew 7:7-14
Pilgrims Progress Stage 4 Part 6

Relate: The path through the Valley of the Shadow of Death is narrow beyond all previous stretches of the road. On the left side, a ditch so deep that blind guides have been leading other blind men into it since the world began. On the right side, there is a quagmire or a swamp. Bunyan calls it the quagmire of King David. In there, a man can sink deeper and deeper without ever reaching solid ground. And narrow is the path that runs between them. It is barely wide enough for one person walking carefully. There is no room for wandering in this valley. There is no safe shoulder on either side. You stay alert on this path, or you will fall. The valley has a shape that demands attention.

React: The ditch on the right represents the spiritual blindness that leads to doctrinal heresy. On this side are those who wander away from the plum line truth of scripture because they value their ideas or opinions more than God’s word. This is also a danger for people who are seeking to interpret God’s word but avoid fellowship with His Body. The primary way God speaks to us is through His word, but another key way He does so is through other believers. If we are avoiding the church, not only are we losing His voice through them, but we also demonstrate that we are not being obedient to His voice found in scripture.

The mire on the other side is sin that leads to despair. I remember an older, wise Christian professor recalling a time when one of his students came up to him, saying, “I don’t think I believe in God anymore. I think I am becoming an atheist.” Knowing little of this student beyond where he sat near the back of the class, this professor (Dr Campolo) felt prompted by God to ask, “How long have you been sleeping with your girlfriend?” This student’s lack of victory over sin was drawing him into a quagmire of a lack of faith in God. Psalm 69 shows the remedy for this. David begins the Psalm wallowing in the despair of how bad his problems are. But he recognizes that it is his sin, not his enemies, that put him there. Je begins fasting and praying for God’s grace and strength. By the end of the Psalm, his problems have not yet gone away… but his focus and perspective have changed, and his confidence in God is renewed.

Respond:

Dear God,
Help preserve me from the dual dangers of both sin and heresy. I recognize that my feet are prone to wander. I know also that the danger for both is greatest when I rely on my own strength instead of You. Just is true is the fact that both are a danger in direct proportion to how much I isolate myself from Your bride, the Church. Help me remain faithful to You and in fellowship with Your family. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen