Today, we’re looking at Psalm 6. This highly emotional psalm expresses fear, anguish, exhaustion, sorrow, joy, and hope. Ultimately, these verses are about Deliverance. David asks for mercy and the Lord accepts his prayer.
When we walk away from our time together today, I want
you to know God hears and responds to
the prayers of His children.
Holy Father, teach
us something new today. Open our eyes to
see Your righteous character. Teach us
to be like Jesus. It’s in His name I ask
this. Amen.
Our text is divided into two parts, today:
1. Lord, do not rebuke me; have mercy (Psalm 6:1-7)
2. The Lord has heard my cry (Psalm 6:8-10)
Let’s dive right in to this amazing psalm.
Read Psalm 6:1-7.
This is a song written by David. It would be accompanied by stringed
instruments. Sheminith refers to the
lowest note sung by men’s voices, so I hear this as a deep, gutteral plea. And the words corroborate this. David is asking the Lord not to rebuke him
in His anger, not to discipline him in His wrath. God’s people will be spared God’s anger and
wrath because Jesus bore the penalty of God’s anger and wrath. Only those who have not accepted Jesus as
their Savior will experience God’s anger and wrath for themselves.
David asks for mercy. He confesses that he is faint. He asks God for healing. He says his bones are in agony. The Lord does this for His people. He offers compassion and forgiveness toward
us through Jesus Christ when it is within His power, and also a prerogative, to
judge us for our sin! The ultimate
healing is spiritual restoration of relationship with our Heavenly Father, and
Jesus provides that too. He is a place
of shelter and safety when we’ve had enough.
David says his soul is in deep anguish. He asks the Lord, “How long?” Have you ever asked the Lord that question? I have.
Just because we’re His doesn’t mean life will become problem free. I’ve come to understand that, in my life,
these circumstances have been allowed by the Lord to draw me to my knees before
Him. These circumstances actually build
my relationship with Him. They help me
see His love and goodness. They
transform me, and that is good.
David asks for deliverance. He asks God to save him based on His
unfailing love. Because of His unfailing
love, God sent His Son Jesus to save the world.
So He has provided the way of deliverance from the ultimate punishment,
which is eternity without God. We will
not always receive deliverance from consequences or circumstances. Those things build our relationship with
God. They are testimonies to others
about how a godly person walks through certain situations. They reveal how good our God is. It may not seem like that while we are
walking through trials, but I have to believe that God is in control of all
things, and that His purposes cannot be thwarted, and He has promised that all
things are for my good and His glory.
Nothing will be wasted.
David declares that no one proclaims God’s name or
praises Him from the grave. This reminds
me of a saying I saw. I can’t recall if
it was a t-shirt or a bumper sticker.
But it said, “Born once, die twice.
Born twice, die once.” All living
people have been born once. Scripture
says you must be born again – of the Spirit.
To be spiritually alive, you must be born twice. If you’ve only been physically born, you will
die twice. The physical body will die,
and the spiritual body will be condemned to eternal death. But, if you have been spiritually born, born
again, you will die once. They physical
body will die. But the spiritual body
will live eternally with God!
Hallelujah!
David is worn out from his groaning. He has flooded his bed with weeping. He has drenched his couch with tears. Crying certainly saps your energy. It is exhausting. This life can be exhausting. But God is a refuge! Jesus is a safe place, a strong tower! When you are worn out, run to Him!!!
David’s eyes are weak with sorrow. His sorrow is because of his foes. Jesus is waiting for you to run to Him! He is waiting to grant you salvation! He is waiting to hear your troubles. He is waiting to refresh you! He wants to be your refuge! Quit running to people and places that cannot
help you. Run to Jesus! Tell Him everything! Hold nothing back. He can handle it. He has very big shoulders.
This leads us to our first principle:
We can express our
deepest fears and anguish to God in prayer.
How has salvation delivered you from God’s anger and
wrath? Where are you asking Jesus for
mercy and healing? What anguish do you
need to bring to Jesus? How have you
experienced the Lord’s deliverance due to His unfailing love? Where are you worn out from groaning? Bring it to Jesus. What “foes” will you ask God for deliverance
from?
Now let’s look at a few more upbeat verses of this psalm.
Read Psalm 6:8-10.
Now, we start to see a transition in David. We see a strength rise up in him. He tells those who do evil to get away from
him. The Lord has heard his weeping. Our strength comes from the Lord. When we start to see God for Who He really is
– how big He really is – our enemies cannot stand against Him! Scripture says the joy of the Lord is my
strength. Where are you struggling with
joy? First, understand that joy is not
happiness. Joy is deeper. Joy is available to us in our saddest
moments. Joy is a deep knowing Who God
is and what His character is like in spite of our situation. Joy is knowing that He is in control, and
everything is going to work out for His glory and our good. Joy is loving Jesus regardless of what’s
going on in your life.
The Lord heard David’s cry for mercy and accepted his
prayer. Isn’t it wonderful to know that
God hears our prayers? He may answer, “no.” He may answer, “yes.” He may answer, “not yet.” But He always answers His children! Are you one of His children? Jesus is the way to God. Jesus is the entrance to fellowship with God
the Father. No one comes to the Father
except through Jesus.
Because of His relationship with God, David has absolute
confidence that his enemies will be dealt with.
We can have the same confidence in God.
Ultimately, Jesus will judge the world.
We are currently living in a time of grace. A time where people don’t get what they
deserve. God wants no one to perish. God wants all people to come to
repentance. Have you repented and
accepted Jesus as your Savior? That is
the first step. Would you like to accept
Jesus as your savior, now? If so, pray
with me:
Lord Jesus, I come
to you now because I am a sinner in need of a savior. You are that savior. I thank you for dying on the cross. I thank you for rising from the grave and conquering
death. I thank you for saving me. Begin your good work in my life. Amen.
Once you give your heart to Jesus, He begins a
transforming work in you. As He does His
good work in you, He will teach you many things. One thing Jesus tells us is to pray for our
enemies and bless those who persecute us.
When we pray for our enemies, our heart changes toward them. Pray for the salvation of your foes. Pray for a heart change in yourself.
And here is our final principle:
The Lord hears
when we call out to Him.
How has the Lord responded to your weeping? How do you know God has answered and accepted
your prayer for mercy? How will you pray
for your “enemies”?
Holy Father, thank You
for the Scriptures. Thank You for
salvation in Jesus. Thank You for trials
that draw me closer to You and lead me to pray.
Thank You for rest and refreshment.
Teach me to trust You to be in total control and to know what’s best in
every situation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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