Psalm 6

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading & Sermon — Psalm 6
• Benediction / Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: Sorrow, Comfort, and Learning to Pray

Scripture: Psalm 6

I. The State of Sorrow (Psalm 6:1–7)

A. Sorrow brought on by a feeling of God's displeasure

1. David feels himself to be the object of God's anger and wrath (Psalm 6:1)
2. May stem from a particular sin (cf. Psalm 51) or from an unexplainable hard providence — "the dark night of the soul"
3. The vagueness of the psalm is pastorally useful: we often cannot know why God has placed us in a sorrowful state, but He gives us the proper response in His Word

B. Sorrow brought on by a feeling of God's absence

1. The Hebrew word in verse 4 ("turn") is better rendered return, as though David calls God back to him (Psalm 6:4)
2. Psalm 5 ended with God's countenance upon David; Psalm 6 opens with the loss of that presence
3. Calvin frequently experienced this sense of abandonment amid constant physical affliction and the pressures of the Reformation, and loved to recite these words

C. Sorrow that is directed toward God, not away from Him

1. David uses the covenant name Yahweh (LORD) four times in the first four verses
2. The feeling of God's absence and anger does not make David mute — it drives him to cry out to God
3. Contrast with Job's three friends: Job directed his complaints upward to God; the friends merely talked about God and theological mechanics (cf. Job 38:4)
4. Absence and anger should cause us all the more to voice our sorrow to the Lord

D. Sorrow that rests in individual weakness and God's mercy

1. David's weakness is on full display: languishing, bones troubled, weary with moaning, eyes wasting away (Psalm 6:2–7)
2. This very weakness is the basis of David's appeal — it is as though his frailty entices God to interject and show mercy
3. God is attracted to those who are poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3); Isaiah's prophecies of redemption consistently focus on the poor and afflicted
4. Israel's cry under Egyptian bondage moved God toward them (Exodus 1); the same pattern repeats throughout Judges
5. The Spirit enables us to cry "Abba, Father" — a child's cry of helpless distress — and Paul calls this a gift (Romans 8)
6. "Unless you become like a child you cannot receive the kingdom of God" — Christ holds an infant as a picture of dependence, not innocence

II. The State of Comfort (Psalm 6:8–10)

A. A sudden shift to bold confidence in verse 8

1. "The LORD has heard the sound of my weeping" — God records every tear (cf. Psalm 56:8)
2. The Lord hears his plea and accepts his prayer (Psalm 6:9)

B. The enemies are turned back

1. The same Hebrew word used in verse 4 (calling the Lord to return) is used in verse 10 for the enemies who must turn back
2. God's smiling face in David's life causes his enemies to disperse — reminiscent of Christ dismissing Satan in the wilderness

C. This is one continuous prayer, not two separate writings

1. The psalm moves from sorrow to confidence within the act of praying
2. Confidence at the end does not necessarily reflect changed circumstances, but a deepened recognition that God is always present and merciful to weak sinners

D. Confession, repentance, and the assurance of pardon bring vitality

1. As in Psalm 32, David's bones were crushed by iniquity until he confessed and received pardon
2. The liturgical practice of confession followed by the assurance of pardon is meant to energize the spiritual life, not merely produce solemnity
3. Even in overwhelming depression, lifting one's voice to the Lord in prayer restores energy and hope

III. Three Lessons on How to Pray from This Psalm

A. Direct your sorrows to the Lord — do not grow silent in the dark night of the soul

1. Sorrow, depression, loss, and confusion should increase our prayer, not silence it
2. David's anguish drives his voice upward to the One who hears and can help

B. Do not be ashamed to pray about your weakness and helplessness

1. David was a military man of great accomplishment, yet utterly honest about his afflicted and helpless state
2. Luther, Spurgeon, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones all struggled with deep depression yet remained honest with God and their congregations about it
3. Psalm 6 is an encouragement to those who feel they are not strong Christians — even the mighty David spoke in humble, childlike dependence before the Lord

C. In prayers of sorrow, do not rise from your knees until you have heard the Lord's pardoning voice

1. With the sole exception of Psalm 88, every psalm of lament ends on a note of encouragement and confidence in the Lord
2. One Puritan would not leave his study until he could say with confidence, "I know You are with me"
3. Spurgeon climbed to his pulpit repeating, "I believe in the Holy Spirit"
4. Prayer should not end in dejection; through reciting God's goodness in the very act of praying, we leave our knees confident in His pardon and grace