Psalm 6: A Prayer For The Weary

​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.

 Meditation
God’s shepherding care gives words for us to pray when we do not know the words to say. Weary from facing external conflicts and internal sin, David’s penitential Psalm gives power for prayer to weary people.
 
God is big enough for our biggest questions. God is strong enough to help in our biggest fears. God is faithful to protect us from the most pressing enemies. God is good enough to give us what we need.
 
Psalm 6 empowers a bolder faith displayed in powerful prayer. Weary with life, drenched from weeping, (6) and wrestling with foes (7), David asks for deliverance (4). His bones are aching from internal trouble (2) but his heart is trusting in the steadfast love of the Lord. Fearing death (5) with a greatly troubled soul (3) David cries out- “HOW LONG!?!?”
 
“HOW LONG!?!?” articulates the hunger of a weary heart and is woven through the Psalms (see Psalm 13, 35, 74, 79, 82, 94…) as an invitation to boldly engage the Living God. Scripture gives us language for our prayers when we have more frustration than faith and more problems than power to pray.
 
When we do not have all the answers of life, God’s word pushes us back into the presence of God Himself, giving us hope. We find in the Lord we have authority over the enemy (8), hope in our God who hears us (9), and victory in Him (10). God is big enough for our questions! And His word gives prayer power to the weak and weary.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you trust God’s shepherding care enough to use His words as your prayer when you are weak and weary in your faith?
 
-What stands out to you about the desperation of David’s prayer and the delight he has with God hearing His prayer?
 
-How can you grow in dependency on God when you are weak and weary in faith?
 
Key Verse
9     The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.