Psalm 6 - 7.18.24
Psalm 6:1-3; 6
S - 1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, Lord, how long?
6 I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
O – This Psalm is a lamentation by David who sensed he was under the chastisement of God, but he still knew he should ask God to shorten the trial. There is a place for humble resignation to chastisement, but God wants us to yearn for higher ground and to use that yearning as a motivation to seek Him and get things right with Him.
In his agony David pleads for deliverance – but on the ground of God’s mercy, not his own righteousness. David knew that the LORD’s chastisement was righteous, but he also knew that God is rich in mercy. (endouringword.com)
A – I know so many of us this morning who can relate to David’s anguish for many of the different things we are experiencing. Those things may or may not be the result of our own sin, but the pain and frustration is all the same. We NEED God to get us through these things. We need to cry out and lay each of our needs at His feet and let Him take the load. And if we believe sin has played a part in our circumstances, then let’s take the opportunity to confess those things and let God move us past them. As we just wrapped up our 7-day rooted challenge, I pray that each person who was seeking Him and growing those roots deeper, truly came away from that time feeling connected! I think most of us would say they have memorized this scripture:
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
That verse carries so much truth! Well, don’t they all? But this one always packs a punch for me. When I am going through the chaos and crying out to God, I must stop and ask myself if I am even taking the time to connect with Jesus. Most of the time, I have been “too busy” to put in the time and effort, not giving Him the chance to speak to my heart or lead me where I need to go. In this Psalm God’s chastising hand was heavy upon David. His life seemed to be nothing but tears and misery. David felt God was angry with him and he lacked a sense of God’s presence (familiar?) and the only reason we would not feel God’s presence is because we have not been connecting to the source. He does not turn his back on us and as we go through each of our own trials, it is imperative that we call on the Lord to bring us through them. He has already promised us that He will!
P – Lord I thank you that your promises never change. That you said there is nothing that can separate us from your love. You said there will be trouble on this earth, but we need not fear any of it because you have already given us victory over every battle. Help us to hold onto that promise and live like we remember that! Help our lives be a testimony to those around us who are watching. Please help myself and others to always go to you amid the pain and suffering and not turn to any of the many other things we can get so caught up in to help ourselves feel better. Let us always turn to YOU for our comfort and our sanity! Thank you, Jesus, that you hear our cries and our desperation, and being the good Father that you are, are right beside us holding us up as we get through our pain.
Amen!
Crystal Penrod Flory
