Psalm 6:1-10 - Take it to the Lord in Prayer

I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies. Today we begin looking and thinking about Psalm 6. The inscription tells us that David wrote this psalm, but we aren't sure when he wrote it. It could have been composed during the time of Absalom's rebellion when David was old, sick, and unable to handle all the complex responsibilities of the kingdom. David's gradual failure as a visible leader was one of Absalom's "selling points" as he stole the hearts of the Israelites (2 Sam. 15:1-6). But the psalm might have been written at any time during David's reign when he was ill and being attacked by his enemies. If indeed this Psalm was written along with Psalms 3, 4, and 5, the sequence of their timing is very interesting. If you remember Psalm 3 is considered a morning Psalm: “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me” (3:5).  Psalm 4 is an evening Psalm: “Meditate on your bed and be still” (4:4). “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (4:8). Psalm 5 is another morning Psalm: “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up” (5:3). Now Psalm 6 is another evening Psalm: “I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears” (6:6). It appears that David would begin each day with morning prayer and devotion and end each day doing the same, as he prepared to get some rest in the night. I believe this would be an awesome habit or discipline that we should attempt to have in our own personal lives. We have gone from a morning psalm (3:5) to an evening psalm (4:8) and back to a morning psalm (5:3). Now we have another evening psalm (6:6). But whereas in the previous psalms, the Lord gave sleep and peace to David, but now here in Psalm 6, we find the king sleepless because of fear and pain. He was worn out from groaning, tossing and turning, and he spent a good deal of time weeping. "I soak my pillow... I drench my couch with my tears" (v. 6). This is why Psalm 6 is considered a “penitential Psalm”. Psalm 6 is the first of seven "penitential psalms" in which the writers are being disciplined by God and experiencing suffering. The other psalms are Pss. 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143. All of these psalms are helpful to us when we need to confess our sins and draw closer to the Lord. In this psalm, David records the stages in his difficult experience of moving by faith from trial to triumph. He describes his plight—"foes without, fears within"—and cries out to God for mercy. He was sure he was facing death (v. 5), which indicates that his experience was real and that he wasn't using sickness and war only as metaphors for his personal troubles. I think I’ve said it before but feel I must mention it again. God has made us emotional creatures. We can feel joy, peace, happiness and delight. But we can also feel anger, hate, jealousy, sadness and pain. There is nothing wrong with any of these emotions in themselves. God made us to feel them. But what is important is what we do with them. Many of us just stuff them and try to hide them from everyone. Some of us take them out on others around us causing great difficulty in our relationships. But I believe the best thing we can do is to release them to the Lord in private prayer and devotion. This is what David did! As you read these Psalms you can personalize them and make them your plea and cry as you give your heart to the Lord. God bless!