As we continue our journey through some of the Psalms that I have found to resonate with me personally, I want to invite you to take your own journey through the Psalms. As in the rest of the Bible, there are so many great, inspiring, and uplifting verses, stories, or lessons, but they may mean different things to different people. For me personally, the story of Joseph speaks most dearly to my heart, but for someone else, the story of Noah might resonant more profoundly with their life. The Psalms I’ve picked will most likely resonate with people who have been through trauma, but maybe you also want courage or boldness, or you want to Praise God or read more about His mighty works, so I invite you to read through the Psalms.
For this post, we’re looking at Psalms 6:2, 3, 6-9.
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?
You would be surprised at just how many Psalms are about asking God for mercy, and lamenting over troubles, and asking for deliverance. Rightly so, for II Corinthians 4:8,9 says that “we are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
We can expect to have troubles and trials, in fact, that’s part of the Christian experience. What’s more important is how we handle those troubles and trials, and the Psalms shows us that in a great way. Instead of complaining like the Israelites in the desert, the psalmists express their grief, their hardships, but they do it directly to the LORD, and they ask for His help. In many of the Psalms, including last week’s, there is a time of reflection on God’s grace and mercies. And then usually the last part of a Psalm is claiming what has been asked.
I encourage you to use this format in your prayers. God wants to hear your trials and burdens. Jesus is, after all, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Let’s continue reading this Psalm:
6 I am weary with my groaning;
All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with tears.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my enemies.
We’ve all likely had nights like this. Where we cry all night or at least cry ourselves to sleep. I think these two verses are wonderful. It shows the sorrow that the Psalmist goes through and we can resonate, and empathize with that. That’s what’s so powerful about the Bible and about the Psalms. By reading this text, you have the assurance that you are not alone in your sorrows; that it’s okay to cry.
Let’s continue:
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.
Here is that last part I mentioned earlier. About claiming and believing that God has heard and will answer.
God has heard our weeping. He has heard our supplication, and He will receive and answer it.
What a blessed thought! We can weep, we can cry, and God hears! God wants to hear. He wants to help us. No matter the sorrow we have, no matter how weary we are, or how afraid we are, God wants to heal us, not only Spiritually, but physically, and emotionally.
The LORD has heard the voice of your weeping…And He will answer you.