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I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord; heal me, for I have sinned against you.” (Psalm 41:4)
Jesus placed His followers under no delusion when He said, “In this world you will have trouble…” But, as was His habit, He followed up truth with comfort and added, “But take heart. I have overcome the world.“
As followers of Christ, we are not guaranteed freedom from the ills that fill this world we live in. We are not exempt from illness, financial distress, grief and family issues. However, Jesus promised that for every problem that can arise, He already has the solution. He has overcome the world and all its troubles.
Going through tough times allows us to become tender towards the struggles of others. No one can empathize with your troubling situation more than someone who has been through similar circumstances. As believers we are empowered, through grace, to be tenderhearted towards one another. Our own troubles often contribute greatly to this ability.
It must be added that troubles don’t work tenderness towards others in everyone. Some are hardened and become cynical because of their problems. It is only by grace that our troubles tenderize us and not harden us.
We can’t help all the troubles that come our way, but, we have to acknowledge, that many of our troubles are a result of our sin. For those who love the Lord, there is nothing so distressing as the possibility of sinning against such a loving and gracious God. Habitual sin results in a myriad of other troubles and often escalates into more sin to try and defend and cover the original sin. And sin also affects our physical well-being. “Sin and suffering are inevitable companions,” writes Charles Spurgeon.
But, there is power in the blood of Christ. His blood has the power to cleanse our guilty consciences. There is forgiveness for repentant sinners through the power of His Name. True repentance acknowledges that sin is firstly committed against God. This is how David understood his sin. He also knew though, that His grace is enough to cover his iniquities.
Notice how David prays for healing not because he is innocent, but because he has sinned. Mercy is not for the innocent. This is quite a contrast compared to the prayer of the self-righteous who believe God ‘owes’ them something because they had been oh-so-good; they had been doing this, that and the other thing for God and now they are entitled to His help.
As David prays for mercy because of his sin, he is not applying to justice for if he had to pray for justice, how could he stand before a holy God? He appeals to God’s mercy. He acknowledges that he sinned against his God. He does not try to hide it, cover it, downplay it, or excuse his sin. He is honest in his appeal for mercy. This is the kind of prayer that will guarantee an answer from God. He gives grace to the humble.
Finally, may we always remember that Jesus has been tempted in every way just as we have, but without sinning. In other words, He can perfectly relate to our humanity –to our weaknesses and our temptations and our troubles. It is for this reason that we are invited to come boldly to the throne to find grace in our time of need. We do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. We may pray for mercy, not because we are innocent, but for the very reason of our guilt.
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)