All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows old because of all my enemies. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. (Psalm 6:6-8)
According to Jewish commentators, there was a period following the sin David committed with Bathsheba that he lay sick for a very long time. It was during this period that he truly came to grips with what he had done and was deeply remorseful. Adding to the situation was the constant threat from enemies who wished to exploit his weakened state. According to these commentators, this is why he wept so intensely — he was sick in body and sick in spirit. Speaking figuratively, David said his crying was so frequent that his bed was drenched in a pool of salty tears. His eyes, puffy and swollen with the constant weeping, could no longer see clearly. It is a pitiful image to consider.
Yet it is probably something many of us can identify with; perhaps not the circumstances that caused the tears to flow, but certainly the angst and bitterness that David describes. I’d dare say that most of us, at one time or the other, have felt hapless and maybe even hopeless to the point that we couldn’t stop crying. Maybe it was out of remorse over a misdeed or it might have been because of a deep hurt inflicted upon us by someone else. Whatever the impetus, many are familiar with the emotions described by David, including the embarrassment and uneasiness that goes with knowing that our enemies are almost giddy at the prospect of our demise.
But David spoke to his enemies — both external and internal — and declared that the LORD had heard his crying and had observed his tears. He fully expected that God would raise him from his sick bed and restore his health as well, and most importantly, his spirit. David was confident in the LORD and knew that, in the end, he would not be the one left to wallow in shame but that his enemies would be put to shame; especially when they saw that the LORD had healed him in every way.
There are other examples in Scripture where the tears of God’s people move Him to compassion and to action, demonstrating that when our heart is broken, our Heavenly Father observes each tear that streams down our face. And so for those whose pillow is soaked with tears, either from repentance or suffering, take heart in knowing that the LORD hears the voice of your weeping; He hears your supplication and will receive your heartfelt, tearful prayer.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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