God, Hear Me in the Deep Waters

by Torrie Slaughter

Psalm 69:1–18

“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.”
Have you ever felt like life is closing in on you—emotionally, financially, or spiritually? If you've found yourself gasping for air beneath the weight of your circumstances, Psalm 69 is your lifeline.

This psalm is not dressed up in poetic perfection. It's raw. It's real. David doesn't mask his misery—he lays it bare before the Lord:

“I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me” (Psalm 69:2, NIV).

David is overwhelmed, misunderstood, and exhausted. He’s drowning—not just in trouble, but in grief, shame, and isolation. And yet, even as the floodwaters rise, he doesn’t stop reaching for God.

“But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation” (Psalm 69:13, NIV).

It’s this honest and urgent kind of prayer God invites from us. No pretenses. No filters. Just the raw truth: “God, I’m struggling, but I know who my help is.”

🕊️ When the Water Rises...

In those moments of distress and despair, where do you turn?
Do you try to keep it together for everyone else?
Do you isolate yourself in silence, or do you run to the One who already knows your heart?

David’s cry teaches us that vulnerability with God is not weakness—it’s worship.

Even when the people closest to him turn away—

“I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children” (Psalm 69:8, NIV)— he doesn’t stop clinging to God.

Rejection, betrayal, sorrow—these are deeply human experiences. But Psalm 69 reminds us that we don’t go through them alone. The God who walked with David through the deep waters walks with us too.

🔄 Reflection:

• Are you being honest with God in your prayers, or are you holding back what hurts?

• When you feel overwhelmed, is your first instinct to turn to God or to withdraw?

🛐 Prayer:

God, the waters feel high—but You are higher still.
You are my anchor in the chaos, my steady place in the storm.
When I feel like I’m sinking, remind me of Your love that lifts, Your mercy that holds, and Your salvation that secures.
Hear me in the deep. Be near today.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.