PSALM 6

1 To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. 2 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I [am] weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O LORD–how long? 4 Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake! 5 For in death [there is] no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks? 6 I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer. 10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back [and] be ashamed suddenly.

PSALM 6:1-10

HE HEARS THE PRAYERS OF TROUBLED HEARTS

Grief is never an easy thing. It turns us into a mess. Our world is suddenly disordered as we try and make sense of the chaos that has entered our lives. It comes at us irrationally. It invades our thoughts with terrible anxieties and causes us pain in places we didn’t know that we could hurt. What must God think of our grief stricken prayers? We know they aren’t very eloquent, we don’t have time or sense for how our words should form sentences that are pleasing to the ear. We just hurt, so we weep and we wail. We know that the theology of our words is probably off center. We want to understand God aright, but all we can see of his beautiful world is the brokenness this side of eternity and so it is with teary eyes we look up to see a blurry vision of who He is?

Does He think we are pathetic? Does he refuse such supplications based on their lack of clarity? Does he tell us to dry up our faces and come back and try it again?

To be honest, sometimes in our grief, He seems silent. A little voice creeps in and whispers, “He doesn’t care about you!” Sometimes it says, “He has abandoned you.” Some times it tells us that we must have brought this all on ourselves, we are to blame for the trouble we see today and if that is the case, why would he ever care to listen to our prayers anyway?

David sees past all these voices that call out to him from the dark night of his grief and trouble. He prays with tears, but also with confidence that God hears his prayers. What a great encouragement it is to know that when we come to God, in the midst of our grief, that He has a way of still hearing our prayers.

PRAYER

Father, thank you that in the midst of our grief and anxieties that you hear our prayers. Thank you that in the moments where I feel near and in the moments that I feel far away that you are present. Give me grace to trust you further than what I can see. Give me grace for the good days when everything is going well and it looks like victory is around the corner. Give me grace for the bad days and sad days when I feel alone and rejected. More than what I feel, I need you to hear my prayers. Thank you the confidence that you do. Thank you for your word that reminds us of who you are on days we are prone to forget. In Jesus Christ, Name, Amen.

I’m reading and blogging the Psalms Through The Summer. I’d love for you to join me. You can find out a little more here.