Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Opening Scripture

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. Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?

I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame. Psalm 6

Opening Prayer

Most Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry, and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me, that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 13

How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Reflection  

As always, we can count on King David to graphically express what he’s feeling. While at times he may be given to exaggeration, David nevertheless clearly conveys the vast expanse of human emotion. Here, he covers two extremes in a matter of six verses.

“How long, Lord?” Have you ever asked that question? David asks it four times in this one short psalm. His feelings of despair and sense of neglect are intense. David calls out to God from a place of anguish and abandonment. This lament sounds a lot like today’s Opening Scripture from Psalm 6.

God never resents our honest inquiry. He knows what we’re thinking and feeling, and He encourages us to draw near to Him. We can – and should – turn to our loving Heavenly Father in every situation. David sincerely pours his heart out to God, giving expression to his misery and torment.

“How long?” I’m suffering terribly here, and there’s no end in sight. Will it be like this forever? David reminds God that, if he dies, his enemies will rejoice and think they have “won.” That represents the low point of this psalm.

David experienced the benefit and blessing of crying out to God. Our heartfelt prayers of desperation put us in God’s presence and intimately connect us to our loving Father. We discover again that He is the source of all comfort. In our search for answers or outcomes, we discover that what we need most is Him.

In that moment, David rallies and raises his gaze. After sharing his unsettling concerns, David declares his unwavering conviction. “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.” In the midst of his distress, David’s abiding trust is in God’s unfailing love (hesed).

Like David, we know that God is good and God is able. Regardless of the circumstances, our hope and trust are in Him!

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

“How much longer?”

Like a bored child in the backseat on a long road trip before modern technology, time was passing slowly for the king. Some believe that David was experiencing a serious illness when he wrote this psalm, fearing that it could result in death.

When it comes to forbearance (patience), being a “patient” might present one of the greatest challenges we face! Confined to bed. Suffering chronic pain or debilitating injury. Loss of mobility. Exhausted and defeated. Healing and recovery seem stalled. Time passes slowly.

I’m suffering terribly here, and there’s no end in sight. Will it be like this forever?

Patience is tested in affliction.

Our ability to endure suffering and hardship with steadfast faith and hope is grounded in our trust in God’s sovereignty and love. Forbearance requires a divine perspective that reframes the situation as part of God “working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

James puts it this way: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Granted, James is asking a lot here, but that truth does reframe things. Suffering is easier if it has a purpose. The right perspective can transform persistent pain into a profound process that accomplishes ultimate good.

Are you in a season of asking God, “How long?” Ask Him to provide the comfort, patience, and perspective you need to endure and grow through it.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!