Please, Lord,
don’t punish me when you are angry;
don’t discipline me when you are furious.
2 Have mercy on me, Lord,
Heal me, Lord,
because my bones are shaking in terror!
3 My whole body[b] is completely terrified!
But you, Lord! How long will this last?
4 Come back to me, Lord! Deliver me!
Save me for the sake of your faithful love!
5 No one is going to praise you
when they are dead.
Who gives you thanks
from the grave?[c]
6 I’m worn out from groaning.
Every night, I drench my bed with tears;
I soak my couch all the way through.
7 My vision fails because of my grief;
it’s weak because of all my distress.
8 Get away from me, all you evildoers,
because the Lord has heard me crying!
9 The Lord has listened to my request.
The Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed
and completely terrified;
they will be defeated
and ashamed instantly.
Reflection
The first time I read Psalm 6 in preparation for writing this devotion I wanted to reach into my Bible and smack the Psalmist for crying and carrying on like he was. I wanted to say to him “Just stop crying! Apologize, say you are sorry, and get on with acting like you are really SORRY! I mistakenly thought the psalmist was the “problem.”
Tradition says that it was written by or at least inspired by David. Scripture tells us that David was not always well-behaved. He believes he is being punished by God or by his “enemies” for something horrendous that he has done. The first line of the first prayer for help in the Book of Psalms introduces what will be a constant feature of the psalmists’ experiences. “Lord, I have so many enemies” he says in Psalm 3:1. The enemies might be anyone or anything that opposes God’s will for justice and peace.
There are many words describing David’s distress. They are variously translated as dismayed, terrified, groaning, agony, worn out and troubled. All are meant to help us understand the original feeling of absolute turmoil that had real physical consequences. He is anticipating what he understands as “God’s punishment” but what he longs for, and experiences, is God’s grace. Our God is not a punishing god but rather a gracious and loving god.
by Kathleen Stolz
For Pondering and Prayer
Pondering Psalm 6 in preparation for writing this devotion, I believed I never had felt the
absolute agony and torment the psalmist felt when he wrote this. I don’t think I have ever blamed God for the actions of someone I would call “my enemies.” As I continued to ponder, I realized that I consider “enemies” anyone who does not follow the guidance of God the Creator and Jesus the Christ, and who is treating God’s children unjustly.
Ah-Ha! Now, as I look at the world around us and we celebrate the birthday of our country during our celebrations of Independence Day, I see that we do have enemies. I think about the people who will suffer with the actions of our elected leaders, who will not have the medical care they require, who will go hungry, homeless, and jobless. In the words of the psalmist “My whole body is completely terrified! Deliver us! Save us for the sake of your faithful love! No one is going to praise you when they are dead. Who gives you thanks from the grave? I’m worn out from groaning. (vs 3-6 paraphrased)
I have never blamed God for my personal sorrows but now, as I look at the world around me, I can identify people or situations as “enemies.” I understand David better than when I started this devotional. I am moved to tears. We ARE living in a time of sorrow in the United States, and so we pray for God’s grace to surround us now.
Prayer: Come, O Healer, come and give me hope, for I have trusted in you as those who came
before me. We trusted and called upon your name, and you held out your hand and closed our wounds and pulled us to our feet.
I know, O Healer of Souls, that you are not far away.
I know, O Physician of the Heart, that you will not forsake me, but will stitch my wounds
and gently restore my soul. I will gain the strength to serve you once more, for you are
my health and my joy. Amen. (from Psalms of Lament by Ann Weems)
