Psalm 6

1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage.
2 Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
3 I am sick at heart. How long, O Lord, until you restore me?
4 Return, O Lord, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love.
5 For the dead do not remember you. Who can praise you from the grave?
6 I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears.
7 My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.
8 Go away, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.
10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified. May they suddenly turn back in shame.

"Mama said there'd be days like this..."

This is one of the few psalms where David does not leaven his complaints with large doses of confidence and joy. Even his reactions seem particularly morose. He says "I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears." Now, that's a bad day.

I understand. I've had days like that. But it encourages me to recognize David did as well. It means I'm not the only one standing up to my hips in alligators.

David implies that he may have brought this trouble on himself. He says "O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage." It's foolish to pretend much of our trouble is not the result of our own bad behavior or choices. And...we often interpret trouble to be the result of God's anger or rage. We can almost hear God say "this is going to hurt you more than it will hurt me!"

Yet...that's not the point and it doesn't prevent David from seeking relief.

The thing that really jumps out at me is Davids plea to "save me because of your unfailing love."

We don't generally appeal on that basis. When we appeal for relief, it's usually on the basis of our own discomfort or agony. "God, I can't take it any more!" I realize David wanted to be delivered from his trouble, but consider this...

"God...I know you love me. In your love, there has to be a limit to how much distress you're willing to let me endure. I appeal to that love!"

So...David didn't appeal to God's power. How miserable we would be if we recognized God had the power to deliver us but didn't. We would then have no alternative but to believe He doesn't care enough.

On the other hand, if we appeal on the basis of God's love, we have the confidence that not one ounce of pain is superfluous. Never forget...this is not whimsy on God's part. God has very specific desires for each of us. Trouble is one of the tools He uses to fulfill those desires. It's been called "the refiner's fire"

Finally, As David said, "the Lord will answer my prayer!" So be encouraged by this. God's love knows precisely when trouble has accomplished it's purpose in our lives. At that point...trouble ends. His love will not let it longer a moment longer.

Live boldly out there today...