The Heart’s Lament: Turning Sorrow to Obedience

By Deb Marsalisi

“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? Return, O Lord, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake! For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks? I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows old because of all my enemies. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer. Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.”—Psalm 6 (NKJV)

Aren’t you grateful David was willing to articulate his pain through words? For me, it’s a relief to see this type of sorrow penned. It reminds me I’m not alone in this fractured world.

Did you know one-third of the Psalms are lament psalms? A lament psalm passionately expresses grief, sorrow, disappointment, and angst. But what’s the difference between a complaint and a lament?

A complaint is an indictment against God that slanders His Character such as seen in Numbers 11:4–6 (NIV): “The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!’” They were literally complaining about Heavenly Bread and craving the good ol’ days of slavery!

A lament is an appeal to God, based on the belief in His Loving Nature, like what follows from Moses as he speaks to the Lord: “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me. . . . I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me” (Numbers 11:11–14 NIV).

Intimacy and trust allow us to pour out our grief to Him. Who better to go to than our Heavenly Father to put salve on our wounds? Let’s explore David’s heart towards the Lord in today’s verses:

O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.

Here we see David’s humility and holy fear toward the Lord. David asks God not to chasten him, which means discipline when He’s mad. Hebrews 12:6 (NKJV) tells us God chastens those He loves.

Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

David isn’t afraid to ask for mercy because he has a deep understanding of God’s Character. Mercy is when we don’t get the punishment we deserve.

My soul also is greatly troubled; but You, O Lord—how long?

David seeks emotional healing when asking how long before his affliction stops. This is so relatable.

Return, O Lord, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your Mercies’ sake! For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks?

Can you hear David’s heart? He wants God’s Presence; He wants to be near to Him. He’s praying for intimacy, rescue, and deliverance. He’s trusting in the Mighty Hand of the Lord to do it for His Mercy’s sake. David wants everyone to see God’s Character.

I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows old because of all my enemies.

Here we see an expression of deep sorrow and pain—pain to the point of sheer exhaustion. David turns to the only One who can help heal his hurt. Charles Spurgeon once said, “Is it not sweet to believe that our tears are understood even when words fail? Let us learn to think of tears as liquid prayers.”

Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

David trusts God in His Graciousness to lean down and hear his prayers. He then gives a warning for all evil to flee, because Abba hears, receives, and answers our prayers.

Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.

David’s not seeking revenge but repentance. As much as David wants this for himself, he wants his enemies to feel the grief, pain, and anguish that leads to Holy Sorrow so they’ll recognize what they’ve done and turn back to the Lord.

Pause: David wept over his sin. When was the last time you wept over your sin? What do these Scriptures reveal to you about the Character of God?

Practice: This Psalm is one of seven psalms of repentance and was written for the chief musician to share in public worship. Have you ever thought that repentance is an act of worship? To repent of something is to simply change our minds about our sin, stop sinning, and turn towards God in obedience. Repentance and obedience walk hand in hand to the altar of worship.

Take some time each day this week to read the remaining six repentance psalms (Psalm 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143; aka Penitential Psalms). Have a time of reflection, confession, and repentance each day.

Pray: Dear Lord, help me to be like David. Hear me as I weep and lament to You. Turn my heart so I recognize my sin and feel the weight of Holy Sorrow. I want to repent and walk in the newness of life. I love You, Lord. Thank You for being my Father, my Protector, my Savior, my Healer, and my Friend. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen!