Psalm 6 has been a Psalm that God has used to speak into my life regarding times of trouble and distress. I find great comfort in this Psalm — seeing myself in the suffering that David endured. There was a period of my life where I had been going through a lot of trouble, and I was miserable. It was a time where I realized I could use comfort. Not from the world, but from God’s Word. So, I turned to the book of Psalms and I came upon Psalm 6. I read it, and my reaction was: Yes, this is exactly what I need! I even wrote the Psalm down in my journal. I found myself rereading the Psalm many times. One day, though, I remember where this Psalm tugged at my heart deeper than usual. I can’t remember all the details, but I recall that it was easily one of the worst days of my life in a long while. It takes a lot for me to just snap; not only snap, but break. As I entered a room to do some work at a table, I felt a whirlwind of emotions within myself. I stopped and leaned against the doorway, feeling tense. I thought I might topple over. Next thing I know, I’m tearing pieces of paper out of my journal. I tempestuously threw paper balls at the trash bin. I flung my pen across the room, wept noisily, and I desired to rip my hair out. That was just the beginning. I sat down at the table and I flipped open my journal aggressively, grabbing a red pen. Then, I entered a blind rage with that pen, scribbling vigorously, noisily, until the entire page was red. I did the same with a purple, black and blue pen until I was left with an erratic, but beautiful piece of art. The tribulation of my soul on display. A glimpse into what was going on inside myself. Quite frankly, I was stunned. I had no idea there was so much affliction within myself. Part of me felt haunted. Had the bottling mechanism malfunctioned inside of me, spilling out rage and ink? I knew I had to do something. And that something was simply sit still, breathe and turn the page elsewhere. I began to read Psalm 6, and everything inside of me began to be pacified. Like infected wounds treated with cool aloe. I could breathe, settle down, soak up the Word and just be held. That’s exactly what I did! I never expected to be able to do everything I needed to do that day, but I did. Surprisingly, it was a productive day. How? Because I let out the suffering of my soul. I paused and breathed. And most importantly, I absorbed the truth of the Word, like a tree soaking up water. Nourishment at its finest! This Psalm was the remedy for my distress. The following is what stood out to me.
Read Psalm 6:1-3
Here, we see that David yearns to be corrected by the Lord. However, not by the wrath of the Lord. He pleads for the Lord to be gracious to him, to show grace. Grace means to receive that which is blessed, yet undeserved. We see that David is suffering greatly, in terms of the state of his mind and his physical body. “Pining away,” means that David’s mind and body are falling apart, due to intense heartache, the suffering of his very soul. For his “bones,” and “soul” are “dismayed.” The connection between the health of your soul, mind and body is oftentimes overlooked. The health of your soul is the most important. David then dwells on how long he must endure this anguish.
Read Psalm 6:4-5
David requests that the Lord save him, due to His loving-kindness. “Checed” is the Hebrew word for loving-kindness. It refers to God’s love and kindness that He shows to those who are rightfully His own fledglings. He makes mention of “Sheol,” which is the place where departed souls go, while awaiting the final resurrection.
Read Psalm 6:6-7
We see that David is exhausted from his tribulation. The tears keep coming, his eyes have aged, and so his eyesight has weakened from his afflictions. David points to his adversaries as the source of his pain and suffering.
Read Psalm 6:8-10
David demands that his enemies flee from him. For the Lord has heard his cries and his supplication. Supplication means: “the action of asking or begging for something earnestly, or humbly.” The Lord has received his prayer(s). David ends this Psalm on a confident note, that indeed all of his foes, those who have caused him trouble and distress, will be gone and full of shame.
Maybe you have a lot of foes in your life. Or you’re going through a storm. If there’s anything I desperately desire for you to take away from this, it’s this: Come to Him, commune with Him. Be in His Word. For with His Word, you can face the day ahead. Regardless of what may come, Amen. (which can mean, as there are a few definitions, “So be it.”)