Psalm 71 – Drowning

When I was in high school, I went swimming with a group of friends in a pond near my house. After a couple of hours hanging out, one of my friends started flopping around and yelling for help. He wasn’t a very good swimmer and it was obvious he wasn’t playing around.

I remember swimming out and trying to help, only to be rewarded by him pushing me under the water, trying to lift himself up by pushing on my head. It was a short struggle, but we eventually made it to shore. It’s amazing we didn’t both drown.

“Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.” – Psalm 71:2

Lately, I’ve been drawn to studying world religions again. Specifically the difference between what and who they claim Christ to be, and what and who Christianity claims Christ to be, it’s THE difference.

All other religions place the responsibility on the believer to save themselves through a form of their own “righteousness”. It’s a journey to somehow earn a salvation through righteous acts. In contrast, Christianity is the only religion that depends completely on the righteousness of God, not man’s righteousness, to save us.

Just like a drowning person who simply cannot swim, we need someone else to pursue and rescue us.

This is a crude illustration and certainly doesn’t fully grasp the doctrine of substitutionary atonement, but it certainly reminds me of what the Psalmist is praying for in verse 2 and explains how I can have peace and joy knowing that it’s not my righteousness, it’s his. Not only is it His righteousness, it’s His rescuing, it’s His delivering, it’s His turning, and His saving.

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…” – Isaiah 64:6

The quickest way to a miserable life filled with doubt, worry, guilt, and condemnation is to think that our righteous acts had anything to do with our salvation. When it’s His grace from the beginning… it truly can be a wonderful life resting in Him alone.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – Jesus (John 10:10)