🌿 Morning Prayer: “Rescue me from the mud” — Should we always ask?
\
From Morning Prayer: "Rescue me from the med." - Psalm 69
The psalmist’s cry is raw, human, and holy. It is the voice of someone who knows they cannot save themselves. But Scripture also shows that not every muddy place is meant to be escaped immediately. Some are meant to be endured, transformed, or understood.
1. Yes, it is biblical to ask — but biblical does not always mean prescriptive
Plenty of things in Scripture happened that we are not meant to imitate. The Psalms give us permission to bring our whole selves to God — fear, frustration, desperation, longing. But they do not promise that every cry will be answered with instant extraction.
Sometimes God rescues. Sometimes God strengthens. Sometimes God waits with us.
2. Are there times God should not rescue us yet?
Spiritually speaking, yes.
There are seasons when:
The mud slows us down so we stop running from something we need to face.
The mud humbles us, softening the ground of the heart.
The mud reveals what we cling to, because nothing clings like wet earth.
The mud keeps us still long enough for God to do interior work that can’t be done while we’re sprinting.
God is not cruel. But God is patient. And sometimes the mud is the only place where patience can take root.
3. Are there times to be grateful for the mud?
Surprisingly, yes.
Not grateful for the suffering itself — that would be dishonest. But grateful for what the mud makes possible:
It teaches us to pray without pretense.
It strips away illusions of self-sufficiency.
It reveals who we are when we cannot “perform.”
It becomes the place where God’s presence is felt most intimately.
It becomes the soil where compassion grows, because no one who has been in the mud despises another muddy soul.
The mud becomes a teacher.
4. What do we do when God does not rescue us right away?
This is the heart of the matter — the part we all need.
When the rescue is delayed, the spiritual work shifts from escape to endurance.
Here are the practices that keep the soul sane and oriented toward God:
Name the mud honestly. God does not heal what we pretend is fine.
Stay connected to the community of faith. Mud isolates; community pulls us back into the light.
Look for the small mercies. Even in the mud, there is manna.
Ask what God is forming in you. Not “Why is this happening?” but “What is being shaped?”
Hold onto the promise, not the timeline. God rescues — but God chooses the hour.
Practice stillness. Mud forces stillness; stillness becomes prayer.
Remember that Christ Himself entered the mud. He does not watch from a distance. He kneels beside us.
5. The deeper truth
Sometimes the prayer is not “Rescue me from the mud,” but “Stay with me in the mud until the work is done.”
And when the time is right — when the soul is ready — when the lesson has ripened — when the heart has softened — God lifts us out, sets our feet on rock, and makes our steps secure.
Not a moment too soon. Not a moment too late.
Read more Morning Prayer posts.
Morning Prayer posts inspired by Being Catholic in Troubled Times (Dennis Ortman)
Book Description:
These are times that try our souls. This book is addressed to all, not just Catholics, who search for deeper meaning in tough times. Our age is marked by division and alienation. We long for some message that will bring peace to our world and our hearts.
This book suggests that the Catholic faith can provide strength in these troubled times. The word "catholic" means "all-embracing, universal." Nothing is excluded in the catholic mind. The truth that sets us free can be found everywhere, especially in unexpected places. It is often hidden in plain sight. In our darkest moments, we find new light and life. When we are most despairing, a ray of hope shines through.
Dr. Dennis Ortman, former priest and current psychologist, is the author of Anger Anonymous, Anxiety Anonymous, Depression Anonymous, Being Catholic in Troubled Times, and Life, Liberty, and COVID-19.
For more posts by and about Dennis and his award-winning books, click HERE.
CONTACT editor@msipress.com FOR A REVIEW COPY
has gained mass recognition for releasing highly acclaimed books of varying genres
that are distributed internationally. Check us out on Wikitia.
To purchase copies of any MSI Press book at 25% discount,
use code FF25 at MSI Press webstore;
for free shipping, use code ship4free.
(Codes cannot be used together; they are meant to provide a choice of discount.)
Want to read an MSI Press book and not have to pay for it?
(1) Ask your local library to purchase and shelve it.
(2) Ask us for a review copy; we love to have our books reviewed.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL OUR AUTHORS AND TITLES.
Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter: get inside information before others see it and access to additional book content(recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, links to precerpts/excerpts, author advice, and more)Check out recent issues.
Turned away by other publishers because you are a first-time author and/or do not have a strong platform yet? If you have a strong manuscript, San Juan Books, our hybrid publishing division, may be able to help. Ask us. Check out more information at www.msipress.com.
Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our author au pair services will mentor you through the process. See what we can do for your at www.msipress.com.
Interested in receiving a free copy of this or any MSI Press LLC book in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book? Contact editor@msipress.com.
Want an author-signed copy of this book? Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25) and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.
Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.MSI Press is ranked among the top publishers in California.
Check out our rankings -- and more -- HERE.
Comments
Post a Comment