Thoughts for the Day

* David doing penance, by Durer

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,
or discipline me in your wrath....
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.....

O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
my sighing is not hidden from you....

I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin....

Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, do not be far from me;
make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

All of us get down sometimes, indeed our world is very concerned at present about mental health, and today's psalm shows us David under pressure from enemies. The result is that he feels God is angry with him, and because of this he is feeling guilty because of his sin. The burden of his guilt is actually separating him from God.

This can happen to us. Bad things can occur to each of us, and we may want to blame God for visiting all this trouble upon us. At this point we need to stop! We're in danger of forgetting that God is love and that He wants the best for us. We need to reflect on what is separating us from Him - in other words, our sin - which is often reflected in our physical as well as our mental health, and then we need to ask for forgiveness.

When things go wrong as with David, we should not let anger or sorrow (or whatever agony we are going through) separate us from the love of God. We need to put ourselves right with Him and turn to Him in faith.

Heavenly Father,
when we feel under pressure from others,
or when our world is collapsing around us,.
may we not blame You
or turn away from You in anger.
Encourage us to acknowledge our sin before You,
renew our faith in Your love
and ask for Your help.
Amen.