Knowing The Word in Psalm 6

O Lord, Deliver My Life

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?

4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?

6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Comments

Have you ever complained to God to ease up on you? David did. In hospital visits, counseling sessions, and on social media, I hear people complain about what God is doing to them. The good thing about this is that they know God to be involved in their lives and that they can speak to him. They can speak of their moaning, tears, and grief. The conclusion we all need to come to when we speak to God is what David realized: “The Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.” David ultimately trusted in God to deliver him from his enemies in the middle of his greatest distress and need. Whatever our enemy may be, we need to trust God as well.

Prayer

O my Lord—Wash me,

Wash me of this relationship;

Wash me of the pain of it,

Wash me of the hurt of it,

Wash me of the disappointment of it,

Wash me of the resentment of it,

Wash me of the attachment to it,

Wash me of the hurtful memories of it

That come back in quietness, and in prayer time,

That come back in the silent night hours

And rend my body and very heart

With an agony of writhing tears.

I give myself into your hands, Lord,

O Wash me, as I lie still before you.

Do for me what I cannot do for myself.

Heal me, Lord . . .

Under your healing touch

Hour by hour, and day by day

I shall be set free, until

the intention of my heart is pure love,

And until all my actions give your lovely name

the glory that can flow from a pure heart.

Source unknown