I’m Tired, Lord!
Psalm 6:1-10
- We’re continuing our study through the book of Psalms.
- This week, we’re going to look at a time when David was tired and struggling physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
- This made me think of one of the things I struggle with personally, and that’s physical labor.
- I’m more of an office guy, so when it comes to doing hard work outside or any kind of backbreaking work, I have a tough time.
- Last fall, I took down our storage tent because a tree had fallen on it and it needed to be replaced.
- Instead of buying another tent, I decided to buy 2 metal sheds.
- I’d never put something like them together before, but I thought I could figure it out.
- So out I went, working on it.
- Turns out, it was a lot harder than I thought!
- What should have taken me maybe a week lasted a lot longer, and only recently was I able to finish everything completely.
- Well, this huge project was physically difficult, so every time I worked on it, I got tired.
- But the problem was when I started to get physically tired, I’d struggle some spiritually, because I’d think, “I could be reading a book right now, or writing a sermon.”
- So I wasn’t working at it to the best of my ability as if I were doing it for Christ, which is what Scripture tells us to do.
- Well, the longer it took, the more frustrated I got, so I began to struggle emotionally.
- I was struggling with it so much that when the snow started falling, I was so overwhelmed that I just stopped working on it.
- Finally, just last week, I went back to it because my wonderful wife motivated me to, and I got everything done and stuff moved back into the sheds neatly.
- It felt really good to be done!
- In life, there are times when we’re struggling with something, and we get really tired because it’s so overwhelming.
- We get drained physically, spiritually, and emotionally, and it’s really hard to pick ourselves back up.
- Here in Psalm 6, we see this happen with David.
- But what’s the background of why David would be feeling physically, spiritually, and emotionally worn out?
- Well, to answer that, we first must know that this Psalm is one of a group of 7 that are known as “penitential Psalms.”
- They are found in Chapter 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143.
- The word penitent means “feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; to be repentant.”
- Many commentators believe that David wrote some or all of these after his transgression with Bathsheba.
- After that sin, God disciplined him by taking the life of his newborn child.
- Some of these penitent Psalms were probably also written after he disobeyed God’s command to not number the people…
- Remember, after that sin, God disciplined David by sending a plague on the people for three days, killing over 70,000 of his people.
- So that explains why the man after God’s own heart would be feeling physically, spiritually, and emotionally tired all at the same time…
- Yet David also shows us in these Psalms that it’s not hopeless and it is possible to move forward, we just need to look to our Great God to bring us through.
- So let’s look at these 3 parts of David’s struggle here in the first penitential Psalm, Psalm 6.
I.) David was physically struggling- Vs 1-2
- There have been quite a few times where I’ve physically struggled to make it through something.
- When I was in the Army, there were a lot of physically challenging things I had to do.
- In Basic Training, one of them was the physical test.
- We had to do push-ups, sit-ups, and a 2-mile run.
- The Drill Sergeants made us run on a track that was not paved, it was all sand.
- According to them, this would help us with endurance.
- So, we had to run around this track 5 times.
- At the end of every run, I was exhausted, but they were right…it was helping build my endurance.
- On the last week of basic training, we had to pass our test with a certain run time, or else we’d fail.
- This time for the run, though, they told us that we only had to run 4 laps instead of 5.
- It turns out that they had us running extra laps the entire time so that we’d be even more motivated on our final run, and it would seem a whole lot easier than the previous times.
- A lot of times, as Christians, we’ll be physically struggling with something, such as our health, or some back-breaking work we’re doing, or we’ll just not have enough energy to do much of anything.
- Here we see David had that same problem.
- He starts out by crying out to the Lord, “Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger!”
- Remember, David probably wrote this Psalm after his sin with Bathsheba or perhaps after he numbered the people.
- So, what probably happened was David was so overwhelmed and grieved by his sin that it affected his health.
- It could have been some kind of a stress-related health issue, or something like that.
- Whatever it was, it was caused by his physical struggle, not a punishment from the Lord for his sin, because in both cases, God clearly told David what his discipline would be…
- Neither of those judgments involved him being afflicted by a physical disease, or something like that.
- I remember years ago when I was young, there was a time when I had some sin in my life, and I dared to take part in the Lord’s Supper.
- I remember the next day I wasn’t feeling well, and before the day ended, I had thrown up in the bathroom.
- I remember as I was throwing up, I thought of my sin, and I was crying out to God, “Lord, I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have sinned and I shouldn’t have taken Communion! Please don’t be angry or disappointed in me!”
- That’s probably a little like what David was doing…crying out to God.
- Especially in vs 2 when he says, “Have mercy on me O Lord, for I am weak!”
- One translation says, “I am one who droops” or “I’m withered!”
- Whatever this physical struggle was, it was bad enough to make David very weak.
- Then he says, “Heal me, for my bones are troubled!”
- He must have literally been aching all over his body.
- Some think he might have even been shaking all over.
- I don’t know how ladies do it when they get sick, yet keep working, but let me tell you…when men get sick, we think we’re dying!
- We lay in bed and think “Woe is me!”
- Whatever is wrong with us is multiplied one hundred times over!
- Ever heard of man flu? It’s not pretty!
- The point is that whatever this malady was, it was bringing David to his knees, and that’s the best place he could have been!
- When we as Christians are struggling with a health issue, or we’re tired from working so much, or whatever it is that has us physically struggling, we must do what David did, and take it to the Lord in prayer.
- The same God who created us is the same God who can give us physical strength and healing.
- It’s okay to ask God for strength or healing when you’re sick and struggling.
- I guarantee that He will listen, and He will give you the strength you need.
- Sometimes, when we get so physically overwhelmed, we just crash and feel like we can’t go on.
- During those times, we must pray!
- Edward Payson was a great man of God, but when he was in his early forties, his health began to fail him.
- He became so weak he lost the use of his legs and became confined to his bed.
- Yet he didn’t give up.
- It has been said that the secret of Edward Payson's ministry was that he prayed much.
- There is no telling how many intimate conversations he had with his beloved Lord.
- When his body was removed from the room he died in, there were found grooves worn into the hardwood floor next to his bed where he rocked and seesawed his knees in constant travail as he prayed.
- When they were preparing his body for burial, they found great camel-like pads on his rough worn-down knees.
- King David and Edward Payson are just 2 examples of men who cried out to God in prayer, even as they were physically struggling, because they knew He would listen.
- May you and I have the same resolve to keep our eyes on Christ, even when we’re tired and weak.
II.) David was spiritually struggling- Vs 3-5
- Years ago, I struggled spiritually.
- I had allowed sin to gain a stronghold in my life and was having difficulty praying and reading the Bible.
- Sadly, I decided to just let my Bible collect dust while I did whatever I wanted to do.
- So, I was living for myself and what I wanted, and I blamed God for allowing things to get so bad in my life.
- The longer I drifted away, the more distant from God I felt.
- It was a huge spiritual struggle, and I knew my soul was struggling, but I wasn’t fighting to stay close to the Lord.
- I remember how miserable I was though, and nothing made me feel better.
- Then, the Lord started to remind me of my times as a child, when I read His Word and how much I loved it.
- He reminded me of past times when He had blessed me and helped me get through difficult times.
- He reminded me what a child-like faith was, and it clicked…
- I realized that I had brought the spiritual struggle on myself, and God had not forsaken me…
- He was with me the entire time!
- What a wonderful day it was when He delivered me and filled me back up with His love.
- Here in Psalm 6, we see David crying out to God because his soul was troubled.
- As the physical struggle from the first 2 verses was beating him up, a spiritual struggle started as well.
- Remember, David sinned, so he’s looking up to God, but his flesh is making him imagine God is angry with him and ready to squash him.
- So, his heart is not at peace, and he feels lost.
- Let me tell you, when you have sin in your life, it won’t matter how much you go to church, or try to pray, or read your Bible…
- If that sin has a stronghold in your life, the enemy will have a field day with you.
- It will be so overwhelming, that you’ll think God won’t hear you even if you tried calling out to him.
- That’s why there’s such desperation in David’s voice here… “Have mercy Lord! My soul is greatly troubled!”
- He continues this intense lament as he says, “How long, Lord?”
- I think he was longing to have that close fellowship with God back, but we have to understand that he’s fighting a spiritual battle here as he’s praying.
- It’s a hard battle because Satan’s minions and our flesh will do everything they can to keep us from Christ.
- Our mind will be filled with thoughts such as, “God doesn’t want to hear from you, you wicked vile sinner!”
- Or, “God could never forgive you. You sure did let Him down!”
- Or, “You might as well enjoy the sin while it lasts! God’s just going to take the fun away!”
- That’s why in vs 4, David says, “Return, Oh Lord, deliver me! Save me for your mercies sake!”
- He understood that he couldn’t win this spiritual battle on his own.
- It was a deep struggle, and he was feeling the weight of it.
- But now, he cries out, “Return Lord! Deliver me!”
- There’s an urgency in his voice.
- That’s showing his desire to be healed and strengthened, and his recognition that God is the only One who can do it for him.
- It’s sad because you can almost feel his agony as he’s praying this.
- He felt God was distant, and no matter how small or big this trial was, he couldn’t handle it on his own.
- Yet he knows that he can only appeal to the mercy of God.
- David Guzik says, “The fact that David appeals to the mercy of God for deliverance is evidence that he is aware that he doesn’t deserve it.”
- And that’s the right heart to have!
- In vs 5, David refers to death, and the fact that when a person dies, their body goes in the grave, and their physical body can no longer praise and glorify God Almighty.
- He’s not saying that his soul would be annihilated when he died, as some denominations suggest…
- Adam Clarke phrases it this way; “Man is to glorify thee on earth. The end for which he was born cannot be accomplished in the grave; heal my body, and heal my soul, that I may be rendered capable of loving and serving thee here below. A dead body in the grave can do no good to men, nor bring any glory to Thy Name!”
- You see, David understood that he was the King of God’s people and he had a responsibility to lead them spiritually to worship the One True God.
- Once he died, he could not longer do that, and he can’t bear the thought of his people turning away from God on a bad note because of his sin.
- David truly was a man after God’s own heart.
- When you and I struggle spiritually, we need to follow David’s example, and fall before Almighty God in worship.
- He will restore us when we struggle spiritually, but not if we don’t want Him to.
- Restoration is a wonderful thing, and let me tell you from experience…
- Even though the season of sin was a horrible, grievous time, the restoration that comes is beautiful, and I guarantee you will feel closer to Christ.
- Of course, if you would have avoided that season of sin in the first place, things would have been better, and different…
- But God uses it for His glory, and the lessons learned are extremely valuable in our walk as Christians.
III.) David was emotionally struggling- Vs 6-7
- Not only was David physically and spiritually struggling, but he was also struggling emotionally.
- In vs 6, he says, “I’m weary with my groaning, and all night I make my bed swim! I drench my couch with my tears!”
- David’s struggle involved feeling like God was angry with him, not feeling God’s presence with him, and a lack of sleep.
- Basically, he was an emotional wreck!
- He couldn’t sleep because he couldn’t stop crying.
- He couldn’t stop crying because he knew his sin was against God, who had been so good to him, and who he had been so close to.
- Now, the feeling of distance was hard for him to grasp.
- I remember when I left home for basic training, I thought, “I’m a man now. No crying.”
- When I got to Ft. Jackson, I was okay for a while.
- Then, the first week, the Drill Sergeants let us call home for the first time, and I started bawling.
- I was thinking of my mom and my dad, and how much I missed them.
- They were far, far away, and I couldn’t get to them, and wouldn’t see them again for a few months.
- I remember the female Drill Sergeant called me a baby, but I didn’t care because I missed my mom.
- Anyways, that’s kind of how I picture David here…
- Crying because his sin has brought a gap between him and God, at least in his mind it has, and he can’t handle it.
- He wants that closeness with God, he longs for it, and he misses it.
- He says “My eye wastes away because of my grief, it grows old because of all my enemies.”
- David was crying so much that he could barely open his eyes!
- His eyes felt like they were old because of all the strain he was putting on them with his tears and the puffiness and the redness…
- This was an extremely difficult time for David, but it was good because it showed his heart was truly repentant and it would have enough of an effect on him that he would never do such a horrible thing again.
- It’s kind of like when a child puts their hand on a hot stove…they feel the pain and quickly pull their hand back.
- After that, they know they never want to do it again…they learned their lesson.
- David definitely learned his lesson, and we know that because we studied his story in the books of 1 & 2 Samuel.
- As Christians, there will be times when we struggle emotionally as well.
- There will be times when we lose a close loved one or friend, and we miss them.
- There will be times when we start to feel the aches and pains of the years, and we think back on our memories and it makes us sad to think of all the changes.
- There will be times when we, like David, have failed spiritually in an area, and emotionally, we’re struggling because we’ve let God down.
- No matter what it is that we’re struggling with emotionally, we can remember that our emotions were given to us by God when He created us.
- That means that just as easily as He created them in us, He can also deliver us from those emotions that have brought us to tears.
- Just like David, we must turn to God, and allow Him to take our tears away.
IV.) David was delivered- Vs 8-10
- When David was down in the dumps, it pleased his enemies because they didn’t want him to be blessed and happy.
- When David gave in to sin and messed up, it really pleased them because they could turn around and mock him.
- Of course, the Enemy, Satan, wanted David to fall and not get back up, so of course he was pleased when David sinned because he thought he’d won.
- Yet David here in vs 8-10 has a whole new attitude.
- He addresses his enemies, and he does so with confidence because God listened to his cries and has delivered him from the depths of despair.
- He says, “Depart from me, workers of iniquity! The Lord has heard my weeping!”
- David understood that giving in to sin with ungodly associates was a bad idea, and all it did was pull him away from God.
- Those same ungodly associates were not there to support and encourage him during his physical, spiritual, and emotional struggles.
- As a matter of fact, most of them were actually discouraging him and happy that he was in the depths of despair.
- Yet David looked to God and felt God pull him back to a right relationship with Himself.
- Now, instead of him being ashamed and troubled, he says, “My enemies will be ashamed and greatly troubled!”
- Why?
- Because they wouldn’t turn to God in repentance like David did.
- They didn’t have a relationship with God like David did.
- They were living shameful lifestyles, so they would be ashamed.
- David states that confidently, knowing that God would not be with them.
- However, David does say something interesting in the last part of vs 10.
- He says, “Let them turn back (or return)”
- David knew what it was like to be overwhelmed by your sin and to be so troubled that it felt like there was no hope.
- That’s why he’s saying, “Let them be ashamed and troubled, but let them return” which means “turn to God!”
- David didn’t want his enemies to perish.
- He wanted them to be converted, but that didn’t involve him going back to participate in their lifestyle.
- It meant him turning from sin, and forsaking any acquaintances who encouraged him to sin.
- J. Edwin Orr describes some of the work among new converts in Halifax during the Second Great Awakening in Britain:
- “Among them was a boxer who had just won a money-prize and a belt. A crowd of his former companions stood outside the hall in order to ridicule him, and they hailed the converted boxer with a shout: ‘He’s getting’ converted! What about that belt? You either have to fight for it or give it up!’ The boxer retorted: ‘I’ll both give it up and you up! If you won’t go with me to heaven, I won’t go with you to hell!’ He gave them the belt, but persuaded some of them to accompany him to the services, where another was converted and set busily working.”
- As you can see, no matter how tired you are, physically, spiritually, or emotionally, there is always hope in Christ.
- Turn to Him, cling to Him, trust Him, and He will bring you through anything.
