Psalm 6 – How Long, Lord?
We are in the midst of a bitter, cold winter and a strong flu season. If the ice and snow doesn’t keep you inside, the threat of germs and viruses may keep you from venturing out into public and risk being laid up for weeks. Or perhaps you are already dealing with one of the many colds, flus, stomach bugs and respiratory illnesses of the season. If so, you may be saying along with the psalmist: How long, Lord? How long need I suffer through this season?
Psalm 6 is the prayer of one deeply afflicted. It could be by a physical ailment, depression stemming from a physical ailment, or spiritual distress. All are valid interpretations of the psalm; each can be used depending on the situation.
In Psalm 6, the writer is suffering. He does not question why. He does not give a long theological treatise on suffering. He accepts that he did something wrong and was being punished which was a common understanding of that time. The first of seven penitential psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143), the writer doesn’t protest that he is innocent. He simply falls upon God’s mercy in repentance, crying out in pain and asking for relief from suffering.
Most of us know about physical suffering. It could be chronic pain from an accident or over use or the effects of an illness. In the face of pain we might seek to put blame somewhere – lack of exercise or too much exercise, too much red meat, drink or lack of drink, whatever. We like to assign blame because then we feel less helpless, more in control. If we can blame ourselves then there’s something we can do about it; we can change our eating habits or life-style. If we did something wrong then we can seek forgiveness and be restored to health.
The psalmist is miserable, crying out in misery to God to hear his grief. He is worn out with his grieving, crying day and night, sinking into a state of depression; his whole life is but tears and mourning (vs 6-7). He cries out to God to hear his suffering. Not only is he suffering physically, he is being beset by enemies (vs. 8).
He calls upon God to save him, trusting in God’s great mercy, and if that is not enough he appeals to the idea that if he dies and goes to Sheol, God will lose his praises since you can’t praise God once dead (vs. 5). The understanding was that after death people went to this underworld, a shadowy existence similar to Hades in Greek and Latin literature. It wasn’t until the second century before Christ that a more positive understanding of life with God after death began to emerge.
The psalmist is bargaining with God to get God to hear his plea and relieve him, very common human trait. He assumes that God needs to be induced to do that which God is already willing to do out of God’s great love; that God is somehow withholding good things from his people, or that God needs our praises.
He cries out “How long?” How long indeed. How long do we have to wait? How long do we have to suffer in this life? How long until God answers our cries?
Sometimes the response to this question is to wait, wait as long as it takes. Waiting on God is a good place to be, however when we are suffering, a minute can seem like a lifetime. It’s hard to be told to wait. Sometimes the answer is now – now is the time for repentance, return to the Lord and seek forgiveness. Sometimes the answer is never – this will never change. God does not turn back the course of time. God doesn’t make the leaves go back on the trees and restore them, nor will God restore our youth or our loved ones in this world. God will not go against the natural law that is written in creation no matter how much we may grieve.
Have you ever found yourself wondering, crying out to God, “How long, Lord?” Banging on the gates of heaven, trying to get God’s attention seemingly to no avail?
Have you ever thought that God may very well say the same thing about us – How long? What will it take to get these people to wake up and listen? What more can I do? Throughout the Old Testament, God calls his people to return to him, yet they turn their back on him. They continue to chase after false gods and don’t listen. Perhaps the problem is not with God but with us. Maybe we aren’t listening.
Something happens in the psalm and there is a shift. This is common in the Psalms. We saw it in Psalm 5, a shift from complaining to rejoicing. In Psalm 6 the shift is from sorrows and tears to vindication, knowing that God has heard the cries of the suffering.
Psalms were used in liturgical settings. At this point something happened. Perhaps it was an oracle, words of God spoken through a prophet or some other liturgical symbol of forgiveness and healing, confirming that God had heard the laments of the people. If using this psalm for personal prayer, it might be good to pause at this point to listen to what God has to say. You may not experience physical healing, however in experiencing God’s presence, a shift may happen. Sometimes all we need is to know that God is with us and loves us. That’s enough.
Sometimes when in pain we can be unresponsive to God. It’s human nature to weep, to grieve what we have lost, but in our grieving let us not be deaf to our God. Let us not be so wrapped up in our own sorrows and hurts that we fail to see and hear God when he calls to us. Our God is doing all that he can to get our attention – are we listening?
This post is part of a series on the Psalms. click here to follow blog
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