Psalmody a journery through Psalms with Anne Mileur - Chapter Six

  “A Prayer of Faith in the Time of Distress”   Psalm chapter 6                              Author - David       

In Psalm 5, we remembered the story of David and Bathsheba. (2nd Samuel, chapters 11-12).  In Psalm 6, we read about the emotional and spiritual repercussions of his sins. David grieves because the son, born of his adultery, died.  He weeps over his wicked actions. David knows the Lord is a just God who cannot ignore his rebellion.

David is aware he deserves punishment. He pleads, “Do not rebuke in Your anger nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. (vs 1) (This is wise counsel for any parent ready to punish a child for wrongdoing.)

He prays, “Deliver me. Save me for Your mercy's sake.” (vs 4) David does not ask God to consider the good he’s done.  He knows he does not deserve to be saved. Instead, David appeals for the Lord to have mercy on him.

In the 1700’s, sermons focused mainly on hellfire and damnation. The Bible became a tool to manipulate people into compliance by using their fear of punishment at the hands of an angry God. Over time, teachings have swung to the other extreme. Today, parishioners are lulled into viewing God as a loving and indulgent grandfather who provides for their every want. They cherry-pick through the Bible, overlooking verses that don’t align with their choices.  Both extremes are partially true and both are partially false.  We should not ignore the reality of God’s wrath and the consequence of eternal hell, nor should we doubt the love and mercy of God and the promise of eternity with Him. Christ taught both truths to prepare us to stand before Him.

Created by his sins, David feels a chasm in his relationship with the Lord.  He yearns for the Lord to return. (vs 4) How often have we felt distance in our relationship with the Lord? Yet, it is not God who has moved away from us. In our shame, we stepped back from Him, as if we could hide from God, who sees all and knows all.

In Romans 8 and 9, Paul addresses the conundrum between sinfulness and relationship with Christ saying, “I don’t do what I want to do, and I do what I don’t want to.” Having personally experienced the Lord’s forgiveness, Paul reassures us saying, “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.”

With Paul’s next words, we realize there is no real distance between God and us. He says, “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, not heights not depths, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The enemy wants us to feel that God has turned His back on us, but he is a liar. The truth is, God has not, nor will He ever, abandon us.

David repents with much groaning and many tears. (vs 6,7) The Lord hears him and receives his pleas for forgiveness. (vs 8,9)

How many times have we repented, and God has forgiven us? When we do not forgive ourselves, we put ourselves above God.  This should not be. We are to show mercy just as God shows mercy, even to ourselves.

David silences his enemies who remind him of his failures. He ignores the inner voices that try to keep him bound by his sin. (vs 10) Like David, we need to ignore the lies and remember the Word of the Lord, “Who the Son sets free, is free indeed!” John 8:36

The character of God Revealed:

He is the God of “Always” – always available in our times of distress, always listening, always faithful, always just, always merciful, and always unchanged.

Just a thought.

1. Think about a time when you’ve gone through a hardship. You cried out to God who heard you and took care of your #1 need – salvation. Now, think about the day after. The hardships are still there.  Your mind plays tricks with you, and your ‘friends’ come to give advice. Doubts start to creep in.

Re-read Psalm 6:8-10. Be like David when he says to himself, “Stop talking. God heard my prayer. He saved me.” And to all the naysayers, he says, “Listen to me. I tell you, He’s real. Turn away from all the things that you’re depending on and turn to God and He will save you too.”        

 2. We tend to label things ‘bad’ or ‘good’. John 10:10 tells us, “Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy.” Acts 10:38 says “Jesus went about doing good…” From those two verses, we conclude that all ‘bad things’ come from satan and only ‘good things’ come from God. 

But here’s the problem with that theory.  We assign ‘good’ and ‘bad’ from a human perspective. For example. When it rains on a picnic day, rain is a bad thing.  But ending a 2-month drought, rain is a good thing. We need to realize that in the hands of the Lord, “It’s all good”.    

When we wonder ‘Why did this bad/good thing happen?” We need to remember that God is Omniscient and we are on a “need to know” basis. Many times, when we think our miracle is delayed, Wait on it. God knows the perfect time.  Sometimes, miracles hide. Look for them. God probably has something different in mind than we do.  

The Word says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,” Romans 8:28. In all things, good or bad, let God be glorified through our words and actions. 

3. Sometimes, doubts arise. And somehow, it feels wrong to question God, to doubt His goodness. Don’t squelch those questions and don’t let it cause shame. Our doubts should drive us to the Word to find answers. Instead of causing us to lose faith, our search grows our faith. 

Sometimes, God gives answers, and other times, He gives us peace to accept that God is the answer. Dean Braxton said it this way, “We were not created to understand, we were created to accept.”