Psalm 6:9 The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.
Prayer is an Opportunity
All of us have looked from without and wondered what it must be like to live inside the walls of a penitentiary. Some know exactly what it is like to live inside those walls. They are currently living inside a prison or penitentiary, and long for what it is to be outside.
I think the idea of the name “penitentiary” is that those who are locked therein are given time to regret and be sorry for what they’ve done. Sometimes in the psalms, David was locked into some trouble until he realized his need and his error. Such psalms, where David is sorry for something he has done and is asking God for something he needs, are called penitential psalms. Such is Psalm 6.
Like in Psalm 5, David is talking about his enemies and giving them to God, but Psalm 6 is a penitential psalm. In other words, David’s enemies were God’s judgment as was David’s illness. David knew that, and that is why he asked for mercy. He says in verses 1-2, “O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD.”
Job wanted a day in court to argue his cause before God. David had had his day in court and knew that in his particular case both his physical ailments and his enemies were the judgments of God. Now not every illness and enemy is a judgment from God, and perhaps most of them are not. However, David knew very specifically, for instance, when he sinned with Bathsheba, that he would be judged by God in his family. So when he had trouble with Absalom, David knew this was not some vague thing. He knew this was God’s judgment.
In this psalm, David did not compartmentalize his life. There is no meaningful health without a meaningful relationship with God. The point is that prayer is an opportunity to view your life in a united way as a whole.
In this psalm, David speaks of both body and soul, that which is physical and that which is spiritual. In verse 3 he says, “Have mercy upon me O LORD for I am weak. Heal me for my bones are vexed.” That is body. Verse 3 says, “My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, OLORD, how long? Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake.” He realizes that there is a body and soul and that God is sovereign over both.
Sometimes we think Sunday is spiritual and the rest of the week is just the physical life. Every day we need to be aware of the fact that both our physical and spiritual needs are valid needs to bring before God. Sometimes we only bring physical needs and neglect the spiritual, but never forget that both body and soul come under the jurisdiction of God.
Sometimes we think, “Well, I should pray for what I need but never for what I want.” If you can’t ask God for it, you shouldn’t want it in the first place. We often say, “God, this is a spiritual need, and I’m depending upon You. But this other thing is just something I want, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to get it.” Then I pat myself on the back and give God no credit. We are to allow God to have His rightful place and sovereignty in every area of our lives.