Lent 1 Midweek

Our Lenten theme midweek services are the Psalms of Lament.

Text: Psalm 6

During Lent, we will examine the Psalms of Lament. As we discussed last week, a lament is addressing God in deep despair, expressing grief, sorrow, and regret, acknowledging or confessing sin, and expressing your dire need for the help that can only come from God—the forgiveness of sin.

You could hear David's deep despair as we read through Psalm 6 this evening. Some scholars believe this Psalm responds to the many happenings in David’s life, primarily when his son, Adonijah, seeks his throne. He is actively plotting and working to keep his brother Solomon from receiving it. The turmoil is deep within these family roots.

Have you experienced such a deep familial pain that it leaves you feeling hopeless, defeated, and physically and emotionally paralyzed?

What is your prayer and lament in times such as this?

Psalm 6 began,

            O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,

                        nor discipline me in your wrath.

            Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;

                        heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.

            My soul also is greatly troubled.

                        But you, O LORD—how long? (Psalm 6:1-3)

This is the initial lament of David. It is a prayer for mercy and grace. David understands God’s wrath, as we heard last week how he lost the child conceived in sin with Bathsheba.

But did you notice how he speaks of his pain? He says, “For my bones are troubled.” This speaks to the deep hurt inside David, and his desire for healing goes beyond the physical; it also speaks to internal, emotional, and spiritual healing.

David says,

            Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;

                        save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

            For in death there is no remembrance of you;

                        in Sheol who will give you praise? (Psalm 6:4-5)

Here, David is implying that God has turned away from him. But is it God who turns from us, or is it we who turn away from God?

As we learned last week, to sin is to miss the mark. Another way of understanding sin is as a turning away from God, His word, and His will. In simple terms, this is done when children do not obey or honor their parents, when couples break their wedding vows, violate the marriage bed, or speak ill of one another.

To reconcile these sins, we repent, and repentance is seen as a turning back to God.

So listen to these words of the church father, John Chrysostom,

[When the psalmist says] “for in death there is no one to remember you,” [he is] not implying that our existence lasts only as far as the present life: perish the thought! After all, he is aware of the doctrine of resurrection. Rather, it is that after our departure from here there would be no time for repentance. For the rich man praised God and repented, but in view of its lateness it did him no good. The virgins wanted to get some oil, but no one gave any to them. So this is what this man requests, too, for his sins to be washed away in this life so as to enjoy confidence at the tribunal of the fearsome judge.

In other words, there is no time to waste. We must learn to lament our sins now, not later. Look to the cross and see the Son's steadfast love. He is your deliverer, so pray to Him.

As the Psalm goes on, the verses reveal the raw anguish of David’s lamenting.

            I am weary with my moaning;

                        every night I flood my bed with tears;

                        I drench my couch with my weeping.

            My eye wastes away because of grief;

                        it grows weak because of all my foes. (Psalm 6:6-7)

David’s exhausted. He cannot help himself; he’s beyond that. The grief he feels, the sadness, anger, and guilt are unbearable. You, too, have felt this grief, have you not? Maybe it was the physical death of someone you loved, but perhaps it was the betrayal of a friend or family member, much like David experiences with his son. An instance where the fracturing of the relationship still felt as if someone died because the relationship had become shattered. You don’t even speak anymore.

These tears and yoke of grief constantly abide with you, as you awake each morning and as you attempt to sleep each night.

It’s for this reason that the bed is where the sick and feeble mind resides. The mind that stirs without ceasing and loses sleep over the matters of this life. It’s a dreadful lot in life as one lays awake and counts each tick of the clock as morning never seems near.

But then David concludes the Psalm by saying,

            Depart from me, all you workers of evil,

                        for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.

            The LORD has heard my plea;

                        the LORD accepts my prayer.

            All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;

                        they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. (Psalm 6:8-10)

The ninth verse is key to this section: “The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.”

Lamenting entrusts God with the griefs and tears of sin and life. It says, “God, I cannot help myself, I need you, O Lord, to help me.”

How often do we try to “fix” family turmoil rather than entrust it to God’s care? This doesn’t mean the hurt is not real; it is, as David’s lament attests.

However, the proper way of dealing with such hurt is not to become vengeful but to earnestly lament it, confess the sins that led to it, and trust in the forgiveness Jesus won for you upon the cross. And if doubts still arise if God has heard your prayer, look to the cross; he hears your prayer; that’s why Jesus was nailed to it, and He’s the reason your prayers are accepted.

So let His forgiveness be the peace that not only abides within your homes and families but permit it to be the peace within your heart, even as you lay your fragile bodies to rest this night. +INJ+