Psalm 69:6

Let not those who wait for You,
O Lord Yahweh of hosts,
be ashamed because of me;
Let not those who seek You
be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.
Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.

I used to think this psalm was about the unbelievers pickin' on the believers, and how the believers are upset by that and don't like the suffering, and how David's (or Jesus') hearers would be embarrassed by the preacher. But as I prayed this psalm last night, I began to wonder....

Maybe it's not about the anointed one hiding out in the wilderness, away from Saul. Maybe it's about what he believes, what he preaches, what he stands for (such as not killing the king, but waiting for God's timing). Maybe it's about his reliance on God's grace and mercy. THAT can be confounding to Christians. Christians can look at small congregations with faithful preachers and be ashamed because they don't have mega-churches like Elmbrook or Joel Osteen's church. "Pastor, why can't you say the things that draw people in, like they do?"

Christians need to be saved from more than cancer and poverty and hunger. We need to saved too from our belief that there is something more than the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins.

Hear me, O Yahweh, for Your lovingkindness is good;
turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.