Two Realities
11/21/21
(This is an except of a booklet I’m writing called, ‘I Am So Troubled I Cannot Speak’: What the Psalms of Lament Teach Us due out in 2022.)
Psalm 6 (ESV)
1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David. 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.
In this short psalm, David lays out his problem in no uncertain terms: he is languishing, which means to be lifeless or listless. His bones are in agony—as I was recovering from hip and wrist fractures, I could relate--and his soul is deeply troubled.
Then he asks God how long is it going to be before he is healed and delivered?
When you are in physical or emotional pain, time seems to move at a snail’s pace. Right now, as I’m writing this, it has been four months since my accident, and I am back to biking, swimming, doing yoga. But when I was anchored in that black oversized chair without being able to move without pain, time dragged on. I knew that I would recover and resume my active lifestyle, but during that moment, it seemed like the pain would go on forever. David felt that way and was unafraid to say so to God.
David spent a lot of time crying. In fact, he was worn out from moaning. Every night he flooded his bed with tears and drenched his couch with weeping. This is hyperbole, or exaggeration, for his bed and couch were not literally soaked with his tears. David could have written, “I cried all night,” but in using this vivid figure, it draws attention to the extreme depth of his emotion.
Have you ever spent all night crying? Have you ever cried so much, your eyes become puffy and tired? David went through that—his eye “wasted away” with all that crying. Listlessness, crying jags, moaning, pain. This does not sound like the writings of a victorious child of God! But remember, these are God-inspired words!
David doesn’t mask him emotions or hide them from God. He doesn’t pretend that everything is wonderful when it isn’t, or act like he isn’t in pain. David’s problems weren’t imaginary—according to this and many other psalms, he had many enemies, many real reasons for crying--nor did his problems vanish overnight. He suffered for quite some time, prompting him to ask God how long it would be until his deliverance would come. Perhaps you, too, have been waiting so long for something to happen, you wonder, when is this ever going to take place? God does not scold David for expressing this feeling. He inspired David to write these very words in His Word!
In verse 8, there is an abrupt change of tone where the writer shifts from lamenting to defiance. He tells his enemies, ‘Get away from me!’ What caused this change? The answer is in the next verse: “The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.”
God heard David’s weeping. In other words, God didn’t turn a deaf ear to David’s pain and anguish. God was not indifferent to David’s suffering. God heard his pleas; and He accepted David’s prayer. Right after this turning point, David declares, “All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.” How did David know that he would be delivered from his enemies? How does David move from worrying about all his evil enemies to boldly declaring that his enemies would be vanquished?
The psalm doesn’t tell us, but perhaps God gave David information regarding the demise of his enemies. God did not abandon David, even though David certainly felt like at one point. It appears that God gave David information regarding his enemies, and this information resulted in a change of perspective, moving him from lamenting over his enemies to exulting over them in victory.
Notice how David acknowledges two realities: the physical and the present and the spiritual and the transcendent. He doesn’t sugar coat his present physical condition, pretending to be “great” and “wonderful” when he isn’t. He uses vivid language to convey the depth of his emotion—he is worn out from all the crying. But he asks God for help, and God answers his plea.
David also acknowledges the spiritual and the transcendent. God recognized David’s pain, heard his pleas, and accepted his prayer. God gave David information regarding the vanquishing of his enemies, which resulted in his saying, “All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.”
Reflection
Pour out your heart to God, honestly and openly. Ask God for help, guidance, and wisdom. Listen for His answer. Only God can comfort you with supernatural comfort.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
1 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
3 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
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