Psalm 6:6,7

 A psalm of David.
I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.

A footnote in the Life Application Study Bible summarizes this psalm as a prayer where David accepted God’s punishment, but begged God not to discipline him in anger.  David knew if God treated him with justice alone without mercy his judgement would be death.  In this prayer I also see how David is praying to God to deliver him from those who have taken advantage of God’s judgement on David to destroy him.   

These verses remind me of the prayer that Christ prayed before his trial and arrest that is recorded in Luke chapter twenty-two and Matthew chapter twenty-six.  The portrait we are given in these verses is of Christ being in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.  When Christ prayed this prayer in the garden of Gethsemane it was a prayer that he already knew the answer, but he still prayed these words three times “O my Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will.”  His soul was exceeding sorrowful and very heavy, even unto death during this time.  However, unlike David’s prayer, this prayer was not for God’s mercy from the punishment of his sin, but for the sins of the entire human race.

Most people live for the present-day events in their life as they travel along their journey on this earth; and it is only in a moment of crisis when all hope is lost that they either turn to others for help and when that has failed they at last turn to God.  At first this moment of crisis that comes into most people life seem huge, but once the crisis is over they look back and see that this event was only a bump in the road of life.  In life we have these up and downs which we believe are major crisis but once they are over we just get back on the road of life and start the routine of living everyday life again.  Often this new direction will bring us closer to God, but sometime we just put God on the shelf until we need Him again. 

However, once we experience a life changing events in which the outcome is not our desire but God’s intervention to change the course of the direction of our life’s journey do we come to the realization of “not my will but thou will be done”.  It is during this experience that the real presence of God in our life.  This is an experience that we only share with the Lord himself.  It is the inner peace that God gives us that even in times of difficulties God will carry us through the fire.  It is a “footprints in the sand” moment where we recognize afterwards that it was God that carried us through.  

Studying the several examples of David’s prayers found in the Psalms, some which were prayers caused by his own sin and other prayers caused by the sins of others we witness a brokenness of spirit that causes great pain to the body itself.  As I study both of these examples I see a very deep desire for God to come and restore the broken personal relationship and heal the physical pain that was lost because of sin.  David prayed in Psalm fifty-one “create in me a clean heart, renew our spirit within me, do not banish me you’re your presence, restore the joy of your salvation.  It is in these dark moments that David’s desire was for the restoration of his relationship with God.   David accepted God’s punishment but truly desire God’s presence in his life and a renewing of the joy of his salvation. 

This relationship was something that Cain did not desire.  He hated the punishment and did not desire to renew God’s presence in his life.  In Genesis chapter four we are told that Cain said unto the Lord that his punishment was greater than he could bear.  In fact, in verse sixteen “And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod.” Cain made the decision to leave God’s presence instead of praying for God not to banished him.  The decision of desiring God’s presence in one’s life is a personal one.  He has already provided the way through Jesus, which leaves the decision of having God’s presence in your life up to you to make.