The psalm begins with a plea to God - do not rebuke me in your anger, nor chastise me in your wrath. The psalmist felt that God is punishing him. He continues to beg God to be gracious to him because he is withering. He is afraid and he asks the Lord to heal him. This indicates that the psalmist was probably sick also. Aside from being troubled by his enemies, the psalmist must be sick to the point of death.
He must have been so terrified because he mentioned that word 'troubled' twice: my bones are troubled; my soul is so troubled.
These first few verses show us that a believer is not immune from fear. Being a believer of God does not mean that one will not be afraid. The psalmist tells us that he is so afraid - in fact he said that his bones and soul are afraid. This means that his entire being is afraid. But through this fear, he still trusts in the Lord.
This tells us that faith is not the absence of fear. It is the presence of confidence in God. It is the presence of trust in God.
After these statements of fear, the psalmist turns around and begs God - how long? He asks God to come back and deliver him - not for the good things the psalmist has done, but because of the mercy of God. When confronted with God, the psalmist does not rely on his own righteousness, he relies on God's mercy.
The psalmist then tells God that he will be of no use to the Lord if he were dead. He continues to say that he is weary. The psalmist pours out his soul to God. He tells the Lord that he is afraid and weary. There is no pretense before God. He speaks and pours out his soul. He speaks to God and tells him what is happening to him. There is this intimacy with God - that he can pour out his soul without fear of being condemned.
He complains that he is growing old because of his enemies. He has grown tired, weary and old because of his enemies.
Verse 9 is the turning point in this psalm. The psalmist gains confidence again and commands the workers of iniquity to leave him. This confidence is not based on anything - but the reason for this confidence is because he knows the Lord has heard him.
He is so confident, that he repeats the same thought three times:
- The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping
- The Lord has heard my supplication
- The Lord has received my prayer
Because of the Lord, the psalmist knows that his enemies shall be ashamed and afraid. They shall turn back and be ashamed.
Lord, when I am afraid and tired, come to help me. I am weak Lord - help me to believe - even if I do not see it. Help me to trust that you will hear me. Give me confidence when I am disheartened. Let me remember what you had done so that I can take heart again.
