Troubled Bones

"Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak;  O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled."  Psalms 6:2

The poet is stricken by some deep disappointment or grief.  He has been shaken by his situation so much so that he confesses to the LORD what the LORD already knows only too well:  "... I am weak."  The poet is gifted in acute self-analysis.  He has moved beyond any philosophical reflection on his condition.  He has nothing left but wounded nakedness.

There is no multiplication of useless adjectives to hurl upon the divine majesty.  Worship is joined to grief, and he wants Yahweh to meet him where he is.  This is a hard place for the poet, but it is also a good place too.  Pressure has a way of getting us to concentrate upon the decisions that we have fashioned upon the anvil of personal desire.  Tenacious pressure has a way of unceremoniously deflating self-mocking hubris.

Yahweh waits to answer us sometimes.  When we need Him right now His waiting seems too long.  Trouble makes us long for our real home because trouble exposes the illusion of our place here in this world.  We engage in remarkable self-injury when we are single-eyed about this world of power politics and metallic moral surfaces.

"O LORD, heal me is worship and prayer.  Here worship and prayer are intermixed with grief.  There is no peace or shalom in his heart.  His heart is in pain and he asks Yahweh to heal him.  He tells Yahweh that he hurts so much that his bones are troubled.  Here is a species of mind-body medicine from the biblical materials.

The heart and body are unitary.  We are body-soul.  We are beings who can be impacted by stressful events so much that we can injure our bodies. Chronic stress can cause our immune system to lower its efficiency and expose us to dis-ease.  My bones are troubled is scientifically sound.  Check out the journals on Mind/Body Medicine.

We need God all the time.  Our souls require his presence, and so do our bodies.  The very cells of our bodies need the Lord for optimal functioning and longevity.  Do you need Yahweh to help you where you are?  Do you need healing?  Go to Him and cast yourself upon his mercy.

Blessings to you.

For more information about Dr. Rich and his teaching ministry, please visit his website.