Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash
By Mike Chaffin
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.
After reading this psalm I immediately thought of the song, “Man of Constant Sorrow.” I think the author of this song must have read Psalm 6. Both seem to be about a man of constant sorrow, who has seen trouble all his days. His friends have all abandoned him, his love has moved away. He may die in a faraway valley but finally has this to say – “But there is one promise that is given, I’ll meet you on God’s golden shore.”
In earlier devotionals we looked at prophetic psalms, laments, and prayers for guidance. This psalm is a Prayer of Penitence, one of many David writes in his lifetime. David was a man after God’s own heart. He wrote Psalms, led Israel to greatness, relied on God, and still sinned many times.
David is credited with writing at least six of these penitential prayers. The seven are psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143. Psalm 6 also has characteristics of a lament.
The model here is a cry for mercy. He describes his deep distress, and asks the age-old question; “How long Lord?” After talking to God, pouring out his heart, asking for deliverance, healing, and forgiveness, he ends the prayer with confidence, (faith) in God.
We have all been in David’s shoes. We have sinned and are suffering for it, either physically or mentally. We lay away at night tossing and turning from the shame of our failure. Or we are living with an illness or disease that we aren’t confident we will live through and fear has overtaken our faith. We wonder why me, where is God and how can I go on. While David faced physical enemies, ours might be mental or spiritual enemies. The devil, given a foot hold through bitterness, rage and our unforgiving spirit weighs on us like a heart attack, taking our breath away and causing us to lose hope.
This is where the penitential prayer comes in. We must repent of our sin, and our lack of faith. We must call out to God for forgiveness and direction. Then we must exercise a measure of faith and believe God’s promises of deliverance and love. God hears our prayers.
