Having given this wonderful text of Psalm 6 an expositional and pastoral survey in our previous two articles, we return one last time for a third installment wherein we consider further implications and applications from this marvelous psalm. Inspired by the example of the nineteenth-century Southern Presbyterian William S. Plumer in his (seemingly-exhaustive) commentary on the Psalms, we now take a few moments to offer practical applications that Christians might use to implement the Holy Spirit-inspired wisdom of Psalm 6 into their own lives: ¹

1. One invaluable lesson that we derive from Psalm 6 is the superiority of repentance over rebellion. In other words, believers ought always to be cultivating a sensitivity toward sin such that when it arises or is pointed out to us, we are swift to repent of it and flee from it—not persist in or, worse yet, excuse it in any way.
2. Tangential to the above point, Psalm 6 reminds us what an ugly and grievous thing sin is. Its inherent severity is evident in the anguish, discomfort, unpleasantness, and even misery that it causes—even to the pardoned saint. Specific sins can lead to severe suffering, even for the righteous. God’s love sometimes necessitates stern discipline in order to prevent further sin. 
3. Receptivity to rebuke or godly sorrow over sin is an incalculably valuable spiritual virtue. A willingness to receive rebuke and be alerted to the danger of sin will only serve us well and profitably in the economy of eternity. Consider the psalmist’s attitude in Psalm 6: yes, the effects of rebuke and fatherly chastisement are hard and unpleasant, but he receives them for the good end that they intend. Far better to mourn now when the effects of sin are still fresh to our memory or while the consequences of God’s fatherly discipline are with us. Far better to lament and repent now “as long as it is still called today” (Heb 3:13) and not refuse our Father’s voice so that it will go well for us in eternity and so that seasons of refreshing (Acts 3:19) can begin even in this life.
4. Spiritual wisdom is crucial in navigating severe trials. Psalm 6 calls us to cultivate, by the grace of God, a spiritual tenderness that makes us receptive to seasons of hard providences. The godly response lies as an alternative to two extremes. On the one hand, some folks when experiencing hardship will crumble, losing all courage and fortitude. On the other hand, some will harden their hearts, shutting out God and turning a deaf ear to his warnings as the Holy Spirit pricks their conscience through Scripture.
5. Psalm 6 encourages us not only to be receptive to God’s corrections, but indeed to use these occasions as prompts to run and turn to him in dependence all the more. Unlike the ungodly who face suffering with stoic defiance or despair, saints find solace in God, acknowledging his presence and his fatherly and providential hand, even in their difficulties. Indeed, more than simply accepting his correctives when we are in sin, afflictions ought to train us to run to the Lord instinctively. Like a child running to a parent in a moment of turmoil, God’s children ought to have an instinctive reflex to flee to him in prayer and trust. For, as Psalm 6 teaches us, he is the ultimate healer for both body and soul, and in him alone is true and everlasting comfort.
6. Psalm 6 prompts us to dwell on God’s mercy and his longsuffering patience with his children. Although David is weary with groaning (v. 6) and his bed is drenched with tears (v. 6) to the point where his eye feels as if it is wasting away (v. 7), God is not done with him. David is miserable, but God has not given up on David. God has not given David over to the enemy. In fact, God is using even these miseries to reclaim David to himself. So it is with all of God’s children: despite all our wanton sins and wanderings, still God continues to mercifully bear with us and draw us back again and again to himself. Oh, how great is God’s grace and how his heart is bursting with mercy toward his people!
7. God’s kindness often spares us from the full consequences of our sins, offering hope. The Lord distinguishes between the faithful and the wicked, ensuring they are not disciplined alike. God does not deal with the wicked in the same way that he deals with his own children—and for that, we should be eternally grateful.
8. Delayed blessings should not deter prayer. Inasmuch as God perseveres with us in our wanderings and sins, so his children should continue to persevere in our prayers and pleadings before him. Though his bones are troubled and even his soul is troubled (v. 2), David comes to the point where he cries out, “How long, O Lord?” (v. 3); yet he continues to bring his petitions before God. And by verse 9, David realizes that the Lord has not turned a deaf ear to his miseries but has truly heard his cries. Therefore, let us persevere in prayer, dear saints. Keep on praying; keep on crying out. Continuous supplication, regardless of one’s state, is always wise. Let us not grow impatient with God if it seems as if he is ignoring our pleas (he is not!) or that his answer is far too prolonged for our timeline. Patience in suffering is crucial. Questioning God’s timing can lead to greater trials. Psalm 6 reminds us that we must submit to his will, trusting in his timing.
9. Conversely, when God does answer the prayers of his people, it bolsters and reinforces faith. Confidence in answered prayers empowers believers to withstand adversaries and temptations. Answered prayer trains the believing heart to keep on seeking God and his aid in prayer: if God has answered our prayers once, we can trust him to do so again. Divine grace neutralizes the enemy’s threats and sinister, insinuating temptations to doubt God’s goodness.
10. Inasmuch as Psalm 6 teaches us about prayer, it also informs our understanding of praise. Prayer and praise should be inseparable. How often do we pray for relief from suffering but fail to offer thanks upon recovery? But at verse 5, David indicates a desire to be in a position of continually giving God praise, and verses 8–10 really are a resolution to the prayer and trial of David, concluding with praise to God for the prayer he has answered. It is good for the soul to render praise and thanks to God for mercies received. True gratitude involves acknowledging God’s deliverance, and publicly recognizing God’s deliverance (as David does in Psalm 6) fosters gratitude and reinforces faith.
11. The chief end of man is to glorify and enjoy God (WSC 1). Therefore, communion with God is life’s greatest joy. How despondent David is when that communion is marred and disrupted. Are we likewise aggrieved when we are not communing with God our Savior and enjoying him as we ought? Does it trouble us as it should? This psalm impresses upon us and reinforces the reality that God’s people need and must cultivate a lively and healthy prayer life and communion with their Lord.
12. In the end, how can the anguish and resolution of this psalm (particularly in verses 8–10) not drive our minds and hearts to Christ? How readily we can imagine the sentiments of this psalm coming from the mouth of Christ in the midst of his travails in Gethsemane and his torturous misery on Golgotha: “I am weary with my groaning . . . My eye wastes away because of grief; It grows old because of all my enemies.” We can readily hear him who was surrounded by mockers and scorners (“He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him” Matt 27:43) saying with verse 8, “Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.” Here in Psalm 6, ultimately, we view the Man of Sorrows undergoing anguish of soul not on account of his own sins, but on account of the sins of his precious people. And, in the end, we see that the Man of Sorrows has become the Triumphant Servant-King, as he has not been relegated to Sheol (v. 5; Ps 16:10), and the Lord has heard and answered his cries, such that his enemies have been turned back and put to shame (vv. 9–10; Col 2:15). As Andrew Bonar puts so well,

Come, and see here what a price was paid for the soul’s redemption; and if you have felt anguish of spirit under a sense of deserved wrath, let it cease when you find the Man of sorrows presenting all his anguish as the atonement for your soul. Thus will the reader use aright this . . . Psalm [most full of pathos], in meditating on which he is shown—The comfortless couch of the Righteous One.²

May the Lord bless the truths of Psalm 6 to our hearts and minds, to our piety, our practice, and our eternity.

Note

1. W. S. Plumer, Psalms: A Critical and Expository Commentary with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2016), 88–92.
2. Andrew Bonar, Christ and His Church in the Book of Psalms (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860), 22.

©Sean Morris. All Rights Reserved.

You can find the whole series here. 

RESOURCES

• Subscribe To The Heidelblog!
• The Heidelblog Resource Page
• Heidelmedia Resources
• The Ecumenical Creeds
• The Reformed Confessions
• The Heidelberg Catechism
• Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008)
• Why I Am A Christian
• What Must A Christian Believe?
• Heidelblog Contributors
• Saturday Psalm Series
• Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to:

Heidelberg Reformation Association
1637 E. Valley Parkway #391
Escondido CA 92027
USA
The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Post authored by:

• Sean Morris

  

  Sean was educated at Grove City College, Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson, MS), and the University of Glasgow (Scotland). He is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America, and serves as a minister at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, TN. He also serves as the Academic Dean of the Blue Ridge Institute for Theological Education. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Historical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Sean lives in Oak Ridge with his wife, Sarah, along with their children and useless beagle.

  More by Sean Morris ›