Please, God, no more yelling,
no more trips to the woodshed.
Treat me nice for a change;
I’m so starved for affection.

Can’t you see I’m black-and-blue,
beat up badly in bones and soul?
God, how long will it take
for you to let up?

Break in, God, and break up this fight;
if you love me at all, get me out of here.
I’m no good to you dead, am I?
I can’t sing in your choir if I’m buried in some tomb!

I’m tired of all this—so tired. My bed
has been floating forty days and nights
On the flood of my tears.
My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.
The sockets of my eyes are black holes;
nearly blind, I squint and grope.

Get out of here, you Devil’s crew:
at last God has heard my sobs.
My requests have all been granted,
my prayers are answered.

Cowards, my enemies disappear.
Disgraced, they turn tail and run.

-Psalm 6 MSG

What I appreciate most about David is how raw he was. He was a man who was rough-and-tough as they come (I mean, come on…bear and lion slayer…killer of giants. A mighty man of valor!)

Yet, in his might…he was not afraid to tell God exactly what he was feeling. He wasn’t shy to cry tears (as we see in this chapter). He felt the things. He felt all the things…deeply.

Have you ever been there? Whether it was a place of asking God to relent, or speak, or stop speaking, or move, or stop moving…or whatever you needed.

I know I have been. And I know I will be. These seasons are not singular. They are fluid. We find ourselves – even in the course of a day – walking in these things and experiencing the things of God. The heartbreak of the world, and the undying hope found in God. His silence, and his shouting. His provision and the lack we have….it’s altogether lovely…yet heart-wrenching in the same breath.

The great tension of Kingdom is alive in this Psalm. Can you feel it? Can you see it? The weight of David’s heart for God to relent..for Him to move and act in a way that David could lean into. In a place of desperation – David cries out to God.

My friend, let us have the heart of David. Let us be open and honest with God about how we feel…let us run to Him in our times of confusion, hurt, chaos, and fear. He is truly good. He can be trusted…even when it feels like he is crushing our hearts. Trust the process. One step at a time.

Peace.