“Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love” (Psalm 6:1-4).

Whatever was going on in David’s life when he wrote this psalm was filling him with deep distress.

A few verses later, he would write, “I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears” (Psalm 6:6). David begged that the Lord would listen to his cries for mercy and deliver him from all of his foes.

This psalm . . . in many ways, it sounds like the thoughts and feelings of a man overwhelmed by his sins—his guilt and shame.

Other psalms are more direct, giving us insight as to when and why the psalmist wrote it. But perhaps it’s better that this one doesn’t. Because the sense of distress and deep anguish dripping from the words on the page . . . those exhausting emotions can plague us as Christians over just about any sin we commit.

For one person, a particular sin might not cause such levels of distress and discomfort. But for another Christian struggling with the same sin, giving into temptation leads to the words of this psalm—the desperate cries for mercy and deliverance—resonating within them on a profound level.

We all have sins that we struggle with, that the devil consistently tempts us with; that our sinful nature all too eagerly goes along with. Once we’ve fallen into temptation, the devil then viciously accuses us, filling us with unbearable guilt and shame.

We don’t deserve God’s mercy. We know that. We don’t deserve his love and forgiveness. We know that, too, but along with David, we ask for it—beg for it—all the same.

“Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long? Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love” (Psalm 6:1-4).

Dear Christian, do you know God’s answer?

Jesus.

The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness, turns and delivers us—just as he promised in his Word. He saved us—not because we deserved it, but all because of his unfailing love.

God’s love and forgiveness never fail. Never.

With his many accusations that fill us with guilt and shame, the devil wants us to think that, surely, God’s love will eventually run out. This time, he surely won’t forgive us because we’ve fallen into the same sin over and over again. He can’t possibly forgive us. He can’t possibly still love us.

Look to Jesus and what he has done. God’s love for us is unfailing. He takes our guilt and shame, our sinful, shameful deeds, and says, “Look! I have removed these from you. I have taken them away. I love you. You are mine.”

When feelings of guilt and shame overwhelm us, we pray, “Turn, Lord, and deliver us. Save us because of your unfailing love!” And he does. He does.

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