Ps 6:1-3 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? ESV
David opened his prayer acknowledging that he is a sinner and deserves God’s wrath but He asks for God’s grace in his sickness. What a blessing it is for us to know that, although we are sinners, we do not have to fear God’s wrath. We can, like David, focus on God’s mercy and our weakness and the trouble we have in our soul.
It seems that so often when we are suffering some physical illness that our soul also becomes troubled. David says his soul was sore vexed. In the Hebrew those are very strong words (meod bahal), which means “exceedingly terrified.” We get the doctor’s report and immediately fear descends and tries to grip our mind, we get angry and in our pain that often turns to depression. I think that is where David was when he asked God not to rebuke him. I am sure he was asking “the” question … What have I done to deserve this; how long will this go on? His prayers were based on one thing that God wants from His children … honesty. If our prayers are not honest then they are not really prayers. God knows what is on our heart and He is not offended if we honestly tell Him. But the key is not to leave it there; David did not.
Ps 6:4-5 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? ESV
During his pain David lifted his heart to the Lord and prayed for deliverance from his sickness of both body and soul. And when we cry out in our pain, we have so much more confidence in that prayer because of our salvation. When Jesus died on the Cross, He not only delivered us from sin, He died for the restoration of the fallen creation and that means physical healing as well.
Isa 53:5 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. ESV
We are healed is a statement of fact, but when our healing does not come, we so often turn to God and cry out… but Your Word says! Does that mean that we are only healed “spiritually?” I have wrestled with that question long into many nights when I have prayed for someone and their healing never came. Yes, it means that we are spiritually healed but it also speaks to our physical condition. It is a guarantee as the bride of Christ that we will be 100% healed when He calls us home.
In the meantime, we can be encouraged in the fact that God is still in the healing and restoring business here on earth. We see it happening all the time and as the day of His return draws closer, we are going to see His healing hand like never before. We need to stand on His promise that those who believe (have faith and trust) will lay hands on the sick and they will recover (Mark 16:18). And that means that we need to step out in faith and stand firm on His Word. God is in the business of showing Himself strong on behalf of His people.
We have His promise. Do we have the faith to stand on it?