November 8
Reading: Psalm 6
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 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.
This Psalm is a lament. A lament is a prayer out of deep sadness. Lament is how the psalms teach God’s people to deal with things like depression, sadness, darkness in the soul. Christians need to learn how to lament. We need to learn how to pour out our sadness to the Lord. Otherwise we end up pouring out on others or not at all, in which case there will come a moment when it overwhelms us.
But lament is how to not be overwhelmed by sadness. You pour it out to God.
We can tell in this psalm why David is low. People are causing him trouble. His enemies are seeking to do harm, probably to him. And, like David, many of our troubles are caused by people. People often cause us heartache and deep sadness. Rather than retaliation, David takes his heartache to God.
We can tell from the first three verses that David does not see himself as entirely innocent. He is asking for mercy and grace from God. It is the common experience of God’s people that our sins and imperfections cause trouble. But, then others, their reactions to us, and their sins, magnify the damage done by our failings. This is certainly true in David’s life.
We get some idea in this psalm just how low David is. He is thinking about his own death. He is crying all night. The agony of his sadness is making him tired and weak, physically ill. Have you ever had times like that? Maybe now?
You are not alone. Many of God’s people have been there, David and Jesus for starters.
Notice where David takes his lament. You can see it in verse 8 and following. He takes great solace in knowing that “the Lord hears.” I think of the tears and prayers of Hagar in the wilderness. I think of the Lord’s words to Moses from the burning bush, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings.” (Exodus 3:7) Our Lord hears the laments of His people. This is why lament is the right way to deal with sadness. The Lord hears.
David knows that, when all is complete, God will set everything straight.
How do you deal with sadness and depression? I suggest that you begin practicing prayers of lament just like this one. Pray them out loud. They are good for the soul and the Lord hears.