Read:

“Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.
My soul is in anguish.
How long, O LORD, how long?” (Psalm 6:2-3)

Examine:
David is praying and is an agony about something in his life. Whether it is something he is afflicted with physically, such as an illness, or something that he has done or has had done to him (maybe this psalm was written at a time when Saul was trying to kill David, or perhaps when Absalom, David’s son was conspiring to become king...I don’t really know...but, I can see that when it was written, David was suffering and struggling.

Apply:
Sometimes I feel just as David felt. I have struggled with different kinds of hurts, habits or hang-up that affects my relationship with God and with others. Most everyone I know is in the same boat, for we all are sinners. All of us at one time or another might question God or feel that He has left us right when we are suffering the most, causing us to ask, just like David did, "How long, O Lord, how long?" But, in the midst of that struggle, when we keep that communication open with God, we discover that God has really been with us all the time. God loves us, even if we cannot see Him in the midst of our struggle. God loves us. Sooner or later we can discover that we can indeed hear Him answering our prayers for help and mercy.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for showing me that you are with me. I thank you that when I hurt, you heal me. When I am confused, you lead me. When I feel helpless, powerless, anxious, worried or fearful, you offer me peace and comfort. If I start to think, “How long?” your Word shows me clearly that you are there, loving me all the while. Lord, I know that life is tough. We live in a broken world. We’re hurt people and are hurt by other people. We hurt ourselves, and we hurt our relationship with you. Father, I thank you that even though I am a sinner, you are there. And you love me so much that you gave your Son as the perfect sacrifice, and that I have your mercy, grace, love and forgiveness. Thank you Father. In the name of your precious Son, Jesus Christ.