1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
3 My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, Lord, how long?
4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?
6 I am worn out from my groaning.
All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.
7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.
8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
This psalm goes from David lamenting over his sin to David looking to God for mercy. He writes this Psalm whilst he’s still running from his son, Absalom.
Question 1
Have you ever thought similarly to David? Have you ever cried because of something you’ve done that has hurt someone else?
Question 2
In David’s sadness and lamenting, he turns to God. When you are sad, who do you turn to?
Why can David turn to God? v4 tells us: “save me because of your unfailing love.” David trusts that God can and will save him. David shows humility and is keen to turn to God for repentance. He trusts in God because of God’s unfailing love. Can you think of how God has shown his unfailing love to David? Can you think of how God has shown his unfailing love to you?
Question 3
Have you asked God to forgive you and to save you?
Question 4
Each time you sin (disobey God), do you go back to God in prayer and ask for forgiveness and rejoice at the fact he has forgiven you because of his unfailing love?
Pray: Thank you, Lord, for your unfailing love. Thank you for forgiving me time and time again.
