Psalm 41:4

Psalm 41:4

Have mercy on me, Lord

It takes a bit of courage to testify, personally, that you are a pathetic sinner and that you need the pardoning hand of God to forgive and set you free. It takes even more courage if you are a prominent leader or king of a nation. It takes courage to admit, that such is the nature of your sin, God’s hand has been hard upon you and His silence has been deafening. How many of us would attribute bad health, groaning and deep sorrow to the weight of our unconfessed sin? If we go public, surely others will speculate and gossip and question just what that sin is? 

We do not know the actual cause of David’s suffering, all we know is that his weakness and foolishness led him into a dark place and it was not only guilt that drove him there – it was the heavy hand of the Lord’s discipline too. That is why David cries out for mercy. That is why he admits that it is against the Lord that he has sinned. That is why his only hope is that God will relent and lift the hand of chastisement and bring healing to his body, his mind and his soul. I’m sure that some of us have to be brought to that place of repentance, where we admit our failure, where we confess and cast ourselves wholly on the Lord’s mercy; maybe that is where pride is broken and true righteousness is born. Surely the Scriptures are right when they declare that the Lord only disciplines those He loves. Maybe it’s not appropriate to end today with a hallelujah!

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