Have Mercy on Me, for I Am Weak
O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled; but You, O LORD—how long?
David was a man of strong emotions with a deep understanding of right and wrong. He knew that for good reason God hates wrong actions, which lead only to suffering and death. He knew that out of love, God rebukes us. But he begged the all-powerful God to remember how weak we humans are and to have mercy.
Mercy has always been part of God’s loving nature, but He demonstrated it to us in the most powerful way when the Word became flesh and suffered and died that we may be forgiven and live (John 1:14; 3:16).
Jesus Christ can “sympathize with our weaknesses” and allows us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
That is what David was doing in Psalm 6: boldly appealing to God for mercy and for a speedy end to his terrible trial.
For more about God’s caring concern for us, see “Your Best Friend.”
