Psalm 6

In our study of Psalm 6, we look at the fact that, not only was David a man of prayer, but he also knew that God would hear and answer them.

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For The director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

We see, in this introduction, that this was a song with accompanying music played on stringed instruments. There are those that do not allow instruments to be used in worship as a sort of badge of piety but, if it was good enough for King David, it should be alright for us.

Psalm 6:1-3

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long?

You can almost feel the groaning as David calls out to the Lord. We notice that he does not come to God on the basis of his works as he cries out for God to be merciful to him. That is a good reminder for us, in that, we do not go to God with our requests based on things that we have done but on the basis of what Christ has done for us. We see David ask "how long?" as he had been praying for deliverance from his enemies for some time and yet was still being attacked. This is a reminder to us, as well, that God has His own timing and purposes. He may not answer our prayers in the way that we would like or in our time frame but we can rest assured that He will answer and His answer will be what is best for His children.

Psalm 6:4

Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.

David appeals to God to rescue him from his enemies because of God's love and not because of anything that he has done. David's enemy, here, was men chasing him but it was the devil who was the real enemy behind it. Like David, our real enemy is the devil who seeks to destroy us but we have the answer when we appeal to God's love as demonstrated through His Son. This has been a constant battle for men to accept the fact that God will save us not because of what we have done but because of who He is.

Psalm 6:5

No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?

David appeals to God with reason but it is not as if he is telling God something that He doesn't know. The purpose of all mankind is to praise and worship God. David can be encouraged by remembering that and knowing that those who praise Him will not be forsaken.

Psalm 6:6 & 7

I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.

David tells us that, even though he knows that God will take care of him, he still has struggled. It seems that he struggled with the difference between his timing and God's time. During our struggles, we often wonder why God does not just fix things at the start but instead allows us to struggle for a time. We, like David, must simply trust in God and realize that His timing is perfect.

Psalm 6:8 & 9

Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.

David knew that God would listen and answer his prayers. He knew this because he understood his relationship with God. It seems that, in our time, prayer has become a popular thing as we hear all kinds of people talk about praying. But, many forget that the ability to pray to God is based on our right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.

Psalm 6:10

All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

David knew that God would protect him from his enemies because of his relationship with God. It is good for us to remember that God takes care of His own even today just as He did for David. This can help us to praise God even through the difficult times.