My Disciplinarian

A Series on the Psalms – a collection of prayers
Feeling like a disappointment
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Psalm 6 

[Life is full of emotions. The book of Psalms is a collection of prayers that express our emotions which are the cry of our soul for hope. In this series, we will be looking in the mirror of the Psalms, to learn more about ourselves and our Lord.]

 

Growing up, my Dad was my disciplinarian. This included spanking. The ironic thing is that as I got older it didn’t hurt when he spanked me. But I would still cry because I knew that I had disappointed him.

 

David wrote Psalm 6 as a prayer in response to the Lord’s discipline. It had affected his whole being… mind, body and soul.

 

² Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.
    Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
³ I am sick at heart.
    How long, O Lord, until you restore me?       NLT

 

In his prayer, he appealed to the Lord’s unfailing love to show mercy.

 

⁴ Return, O Lord, and rescue me.
    Save me because of your unfailing love.        NLT

 

David was a mighty warrior; a man’s man. After all, he had defeated Goliath! And yet, in an unexpected confession, David disclosed not only how he reacted physically to the Lord’s discipline, but also just how emotional he was.

 

⁶ I am worn out from sobbing.
    All night I flood my bed with weeping,
    drenching it with my tears.      NLT

 

We don’t know the specifics of David’s situation; of what led the Lord to discipline him. The NIV study Bible suggests that the Lord was disciplining him by inflicting him with an illness for some sin that he had committed. Think of Bathsheba and her husband Uriah.

 

But what we do know is how he was feeling. We know how the discipline affected the condition of his mind, body and soul. We also know that he based his appeal on the Lord’s unfailing love.

 

You get the feeling that David needed the Lord’s love and acceptance more than anything else. Maybe even, like me, he felt bad because he had disappointed the Lord, his Heavenly Father.

 

We’ve all disappointed someone in our life at one time or another. It might have been a
parent or a spouse or even ourselves. For sure though, we’ve disappointed our Heavenly Father. The Good News is that He hears us when we pray.

 

⁹ The Lord has heard my plea;
    the Lord will answer my prayer.         NLT

 

Copyright 2024 Joseph B Williams

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