Give Grace to Me, YHWH

Psalm 6:2

Give grace to me, YHWH, for I am languishing
Heal me, YHWH, for my bones are terrified

A while back, while in the midst of academic studies and ministry, I found myself going dry. I realised that I had tried to serve God out of my own human understanding, rather than through reliance on the Holy Spirit. I sought the Lord in his Word, and while my mind could comprehend the truths of Scripture, spiritually I was parched and disquieted within! A deep despair came over me as I wrestled with my own powerlessness to reach God.

The psalmist of Psalm 6 was in such a place once. He was “languishing”, a word used to describe barren women (1 Sam 2:5; Jer 15:9), so indicating a loss of fertility and of wilting away. Despite all that he had known of God, David the psalmist feared that he was drifting away to death.

So he cried out in v2, “Give grace to me, O YHWH!” Grace (khanan) means to show favour simply based on need and not merit. It is often used in dealing with the poor, needy, and orphans (e.g., Prov 14:31). Grace cannot be earned but simply asked for, and this is what the psalmist did. He appealed to God simply because he is languishing, because he is terrified.

The psalmist’s cry touched my heart. The striving in my soul somehow lifted and the peace of God came to my rescue. That same weekend, I preached a tearful, and (for the first time) an unscripted sermon in my home church, relying on God’s grace rather than my own ability to carry me through. I’m grateful that people in the congregation felt that the Lord ministered to them through my brokenness and dependence on him

When our theological pursuit makes us weary, when we are overwhelmed by ministry, or when personal problems weigh us down, it is time to cry out “Give grace to me, YHWH!” Despite our unworthiness, God will hear simply because of our need.

Anna Luu (MDiv 2)