When Bones Ache and Souls Break: A Journey Through Psalm 6
Some prayers don’t sound polished — they sound desperate. Psalm 6 is one of them. In just ten verses, it takes us through anguish, pleading, and the hard-won rediscovery of hope.
Photo by Igor Shalyminov on Unsplash
Ready for a ride on an emotional roller coaster? Try Psalm 6. Just 10 verses that can be read in under 60 seconds, but if you can slow down enough to sit beside the Psalmist, there is much that can be learnt about wrestling turmoil.
We don’t know the back-story on this one. On a first-pass read-through it is hard to identify the precise nature of the problem. You think it might be some grievous personal sin, or maybe he’s in fear for his life. Is he sick perhaps? At the very least he seems really depressed. Whatever it is, he’s in a far better place in verse 10 than when he started in verse 1. Maybe there’s a pattern we can learn from.
The Cry for Mercy
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled…
3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?
(Psalm 6:1–2, ESV)
Here is a man who needs reassurance. He’s crying out for grace, not justice. But somehow he is able to connect with what’s going on internally.
“My bones are troubled, my soul is also greatly troubled.”
He names what’s going on. Physical and spiritual anguish rise together, and from that, a desperate prayer.
The Turn Toward Hope
4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?
(Psalm 6:4-5, ESV)
Asking for grace has helped. God is no longer imagined as a wrathful judge, but as a steadfast deliverer. The heart has turned slightly, prompted by this recalling. Remembrance and life hold hands. Slightly emboldened, he now calls for God to turn his head.
The Depth of Grief
6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
(Psalm 6:6-7, ESV)
This has been going for some time. The grief does not leave. There is no fight left. Tears seep from bloodshot eyes that could not hold the gaze of another. Still, it has really helped to pay some attention to the physical state. Take some honest inventory, make a diagnosis, identify the issue. No pretense. No bravado.
The Victory of Faith
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
(Psalm 6:8-10, ESV)
But somehow, after the flood of tears, resolve emerges. God has heard the sound of his prayer and listened to the wordless voice of the tears. The enemies shrink. Their campaign is over and they slink from the battle-field. The troubles fade. God has not only heard — He has accepted the prayer. The burden begins to lift.
The Bible is full of laments like this because a broken world ensures a ready supply of suffering. But God’s project is to restore this broken world - and He invites wounded hearts to be part of the healing. If we are heavy-laden, the psalms teach us to cry out, confident that God listens without burden or irritation. Psalm 6 reminds us: the road to restoration often begins with a whispered plea through weary tears.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
(Matthew 11:28–30, ESV)