January 9, 2017

WOW, THAT'S GOING TO LEAVE A MARK!

Psalm 6

Paul Schmidth
Monday's Devo

January 9, 2017

Monday's Devo

January 9, 2017

Central Truth

Life is full of ups and downs that cause us pain—some from consequences of our own sin, and others that just come our way. It's been said we are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or about to go into one. God is sovereign. Trust Him!

Key Verse | Psalm 6:4

Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
(Psalm 6:4)

Psalm 6

O LORD, Deliver My Life

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. 1 6:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term A Psalm of David.

O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor discipline me in your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;
    heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled.
    But you, O LORD—how long?

Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;
    save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
For in death there is no remembrance of you;
    in Sheol who will give you praise?

I am weary with my moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eye wastes away because of grief;
    it grows weak because of all my foes.

Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
    for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
The LORD has heard my plea;
    the LORD accepts my prayer.
10  All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
    they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Footnotes

[1] 6:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term

Dive Deeper | Psalm 6

I remember as a young boy going to Indiana for the summer and forgetting to return a library book. I worried about it the whole summer, but said nothing. When I returned to Dallas, I had to face the consequences of that choice. I literally made myself sick anticipating what would happen. My dad told me that there was a $9 late fee due. It might as well have been 9 million dollars. I had to wait all day for him to get home and for the consequences of my choice of not telling the truth. I was sick to my bones. It was the longest summer, followed by the most excruciating day! I finally confessed the whole story, expecting nine inches of my bottom to take the brunt of my dad's wrath. What I had forgotten was that my dad loves me! As I confessed it all, he forgave me, and my health was restored.

That was some 50 years ago. But it still reminds me how God loves me. And most of the consequences I face in life are not because God is mad at me, but the natural outcome of not following His direction.

There were so many times like this in David's life. Some of the pain was from his own sin; other circumstances were just God refining him through hardships to prepare him to be a man after God's own heart and become the greatest king Israel ever had.

What was constant in his life, and hopefully in you and me now, was a real dependence on God. He recognized God's sovereignty and that real healing comes only through repentance and dependence on His mercy.

There is a real connection between health and restoration through confession. In the words of 1 John 1:9, "[i]f we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Discussion Questions

1. Are you feeling like God is mad at you right now? Know that God is not mad at you. Romans 5:8 reveals, "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

2. Are there any sins in your life you are hiding that are making your bones hurt? Please talk to your community about it.

3. How will you handle adversity in your life differently in 2017?