How long, Lord, how long?

Psalm 6:1-10 TNIV

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;

heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

My soul is in deep anguish.

How long, Lord, how long?

Turn, Lord, and deliver me;

save me because of your unfailing love.

Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

Who praises you from the grave?

I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping

and drench my couch with tears.

My eyes grow weak with sorrow;

they fail because of all my foes.

Away from me, all you who do evil,

for the Lord has heard my weeping.

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;

the Lord accepts my prayer.

All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;

they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

My thoughts-

What an honest plea! I wish I couldn't say this but there have been quite a few nights that I have knelt by the couch in my living room (it may seem odd but I've found that place to be a good place to pray) and poured out my soul like this.

There are a couple of things in particular that I like about this psalm. First, the psalmist asks God to deliver and to save him, not because he is righteous, not because he deserves it, not because of anything that the psalmist has done, but because of God's unfailing love. I don't know the back story here. I don't know anything really about who wrote this psalm or what was going on. I don't know what led this man to this place where he is pleading to God for mercy.

In a way it almost doesn't matter what leads you to the place where you are begging God to deliver you. What matters is the deliverance. What matters is God's unfailing love. What matters is that, even if in desperation, you turn to God and humbly submit, asking for help. We can't do this life on our own. We need God.

Another thing that I like about this psalm is a question the psalmist asks. Maybe I'm reading too much of myself into this situation, but it is a question that on occasion has been known to keep me up at night. It seems to be a fundamental part of being human.

Who praises you from the grave?

The psalmist here seems to make the assumption that death is the end. Death is darkness. Death is the place from which we do not return.

Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

Is the psalmist bartering with God? Is he trying to make a deal? Is he praising God hoping that God would find his praising pleasing so that he can then convince God that those pleasing praises can't come from a dead man?

This man is desperate. I have known this desperation. We all go through this. It is a part of being human. The man is sick with anguish and grief and he needs relief and he needs it now. In his anguish he calls out to God, asking "how long, Lord, how long? His need for deliverance is intense and immediate. He can't take it any more. He needs salvation right now. There may be no more honest prayer than this: God, I need you, and I need you right now.

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