March 8, 2021 -- Psalm 6:6-10 -- Tears and Triumph

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.

Psalm 6:6-10 English Standard Version

King David seemed to me, in my youth, a valiant character beyond reproach. A mighty warrior who could face down any opponent and defeat any wild animal. He was a man’s man with no emotion except victorious exuberance and high joys. The Psalms bring us a far more intimate portrait of the man. He has weaknesses. He has profoundly deep emotions which I had not associated with battle hardened warriors. He experienced tears. He experienced grief. I guess that last one should be obvious, any warrior will lose fellow soldiers in battles. There would be grief. Near unbearable grief hard to understand by the ordinary people who have not fought side by side in the thick of battle with a man dearer than a brother only to lose him to an enemy. Yes, anguished grief must have been familiar to him.

Where does his resilience come from so that he can cope? His strength, even in weeping, is from the LORD. Twice in verse 9 the powerful Name is used, all in capitals, which indicates it is the covenant Name of God. The LORD will not abandon His people—that is His sure-fire promise. Everything we experience in this life, even the most painful hardships, are purposeful. For this reason, we have hope beyond the tears. The LORD has conquered sin. The LORD has set our punishment on His Christ and given us life that no battle can ultimately take. We are His. David also wrote: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5b). What glorious hope is ours in Name of God.

Prayer hearing, tear-seeing, anguished grief-relieving God of Power, blessed are You. When weariness overwhelms us and grief wrings out the last drop of moisture from our eyes, thank You for the fact that You hear and accept the prayers of Your people—this is not based on whether or not we feel it—this is anchored in the accomplished work of Jesus. Spirit of God sustain us until joy returns. And when our strength is renewed and it is almost impossible to relate to the deep anguish of the Psalm-writer, move us to pray for those in our lives, in our congregation, in our circle of friends or coworkers to pray passionately, that such resilience as this psalm pictures will be granted them, in Jesus’ Name we pray it. Amen

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