Friday, February 22, 2013

Psalms for Lent 2013 (2)


Psalm 6.
A Psalm for the penitent
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.
3 My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?
Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?
6 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.
8 Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;  the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Remorse caused the psalmist to become weak in every aspect of his existence.
He complains of physical agony (verse 2)
He asks the question of the saddened and depressed:  How long, Lord, how long... (Verse 3)
He contemplates death and realizes that a corpse is no longer able to bring glory to God. (verse 5)
He is emotionally worn out by depression and sorrowful as a result of self blame and feelings of guilt and shame. (verse 7)

Yet, in spite of his anguish – physically, emotionally and spiritually, he has faith!
He still addresses God with the confidence of someone who expects to be heard.
He believes in God’s mercy. (verse 1 &2)
He believes in God’s power to heal him. (verse 4)
He believes that God is a deliverer. (verse 8 – 10)
He believes in a God who dries our tears, gives us new beginnings, accepts our prayers and conquers our enemies.

Our Lord Jesus Christ experienced the torment described in Psalm 6.
Not because he ever sinned, but because he became a penitent in our place and for the sake of our forgiveness and redemption.
He indeed came to dry our tears and to begin a new relationship with us.
In Jesus, God listens to our prayers and grants us forgiveness.
He prepares a Celebration before us in the face of our enemies!
Our cup will be emptied of God’s wrath and filled with God’s grace and mercy, and our weakness will leave us. We will remain in the house of the Lord, forever!
In Christ we are more than conquerors.


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