“Afflicted”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Psalm 6 (Forward, p. 72) CEV p. 558
A question: who among us cannot readily commiserate with our psalmist? Surely most of us have suffered through illnesses or other health issues that seemed to drag on and on and on. On a rather personal level I can certainly identify with him, having had pneumonia twice, and most recently an eye infection and deep seated cold, both of which seemed to linger forever.
The psalmist isn’t very definite about his afflictions, and doesn’t describe them in any detail, which makes his words even more effective for us to use in sharing our woes with God. Fear, deep distress, groaning, tears, bodily afflictions, and sorrow are all things that we have experienced, and so his words can aptly describe our own feelings and situations. And so, his plea to God is most appropriate for us as well:
Have pity on me and heal my feeble body. My bones tremble with
fear, and I am in deep distress. How long will it be? (verses 2-3)
Turn and come to my rescue. Show your wonderful love and save
me, Lord (verse 4).
My groaning has worn me out. At night my bed and pillow are
soaked with tears (verse 6).
Our psalmist is truly in a rather deplorable situation, and yet, he does not give up hope. In verses 8-10, we see a surprising, and rather informative,
change of tone in his words. Rather than dwelling on his dismal situation, as has been his habit up until now, he now, with great confidence, looks to the future. He sees God as having already intervened and helped him in his afflictions. The way he puts it, God has already heard his crying and answered his prayer and plea for mercy.
And so, in like manner, it can be this way for us as well: to force ourselves out of our quagmire of feelings of helplessness and depression that can so easily accompany those times, to see God and what He can do, and then to call upon Him—for He is always there and always ready to help us. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “O Lord—how long?” (verse 3a)
“In my experience, time moves differently when you are waiting for confirmation of a serious medical diagnosis. It’s some of the most uncomfortable times I have ever experienced. I remember crying in bed, just as the psalmist describes, begging God and making promises. Several days later, I got the news I didn’t want to hear: I had cancer.
“I was so upset that I accidentally left my prayer beads behind at the hospital. I was devastated that I lost them. I remembered what a teacher told me once: sometimes, losing something is okay because it can be used by someone who needs it more than you. When I returned for my follow-up appointment, the receptionist handed me my familiar string of red beads. No one needed them more than I did, it seemed.
“I used to be worried about expressing my fear and anger in prayer. But I listened to the psalms when I had no energy to pray, and I heard voices crying out just as I had: How long, O Lord? It turns out that God is a very good listener—and always has been.”
MOVING FORWARD: “Is there something you are afraid of telling God?”