Mercy Lord!
Have you ever experienced the discipline of the the Lord? The Lord will use natural means such as sickness (1 Cor 11:30), adversity (Heb 12:7), and evil men (Ps 6:7) to discipline His children when they sin in order to produce greater holiness. David is experiencing God’s discipline in Psalm 6 through the hardship of wicked adversaries. In this Psalm, David asks God for His mercy in the midst of His chastening.
David begins this psalm with a prayer asking God for His grace in his suffering (1-3). He is asking for God’s mercy as he is being disciplined (1-2). He knows that his suffering is because of his sin (either continual or unrepentant). He asks for healing, which could mean physical or spiritual (2). He is distressed and weak physically and emotionally and cries out to God, “How Long...” (3). How long will he suffer at the hands of evil men. Brethren, there are times when your suffering is because of your persistent or unrepentant sin. God brings hardships into your life to expose the idols of your heart and to bring about an attitude of repentance (Heb 12:7-11). Our hearts are idol making factories. An idol is something that we love enough that we will sin to get it, or we will sin when we do not get it. Think about something you have wanted so bad that you have sinned to possess it. Is there something that you want that when you don’t get it you become discontented, angry, sullen, and downcast? That’s your idol. Humble yourself and repent before you face the discipline of the Lord. David has been humbled and is repentant over his sin and asks God for mercy. This is the right attitude toward your sin before God.