SERMON TITLE: Suffering and Prayer
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 6:1-10 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 6-1-25
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As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
Last week I visited our friends in Bucyrus. And to Ms. Phyllis — who sat next to me — thanks for saying I look younger in person.
We’re taking a pause from our series in Romans for the month of June. Last year — during my annual review — the elders suggested a few preaching ideas that they thought would be beneficial for us as a church. Specifically they mentioned our role in sanctification — or growing in our spiritual maturity — during moments of suffering. They also mentioned the life of David as a possibility. So I thought we might take the month of June to look at both.
We’re going to look at five psalms of David that will help us understand how suffering, trials, hardships, and so on — are opportunities for us to grow spiritually. These are not easy opportunities to grow — they’re opportunities that come when life is the most challenging. But — in another sense — they’re easy opportunities to spiritually grow — because — when life is most challenging we’re forced to change in some way.
And many of us have been facing hardships, trials, difficulties, and sorrows in recent months. I think I’ve attended more funerals in the past few months than I have in any other stretch of time while here at Gateway. And that’s just one example of what some among us have recently experienced.
So let’s take some time to see how our Christian faith offers a different opportunity in these hard moments of life: an opportunity to become more like our Savior — Jesus — who — in love for us — experienced suffering, trials, persecution, hardships, rejection, hatred — you name it — he experienced it so that we might have hope in the midst of the sorrows we face.
But I know that not all of us believe in Jesus. Yet all of us have experienced suffering — or know others who’ve experienced it. And — if you’re honest — it’s scary. Because there’s no good answer offered by our world, society, and culture as to why we suffer — and even more importantly — how to suffer well. There’s just a huge hopelessness — thus many turn to coping mechanisms to numb themselves — drugs, alcohol, binge watching Netflix — or give up on life altogether in a seemingly never-ending depression.
But is that all there is — is that the best offer on the table in a world full of suffering? It’s not — thank God it’s not.
And that’s what we’re going to explore in this series as we look at some of David’s psalms — beginning today with Psalm Six. If you have your Bible — that’s where we’ll be — Psalm Six.
While you’re finding Psalm Six — here’s where we’re going in this series. In the coming weeks we’re going to look at suffering we experience due to unrepentant sin in our lives, we’ll look at suffering we experience at the hands of others, we’ll see the important relationship between our suffering and worship, as well as the relationship between suffering and salvation. But today — we begin — by looking at the relationship between suffering and prayer. We’re in verse one of Psalm six.
Psalm 6 ESV
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long? 4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? 6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
Here’s where we’re headed. First, we’re going to look at the situation of suffering. Second, the sufferer’s prayer. And — finally — the hope of the sufferer’s prayer. What’s the cause of David’s suffering — the situation? Then we’ll look at David’s prayer in the midst of suffering. And — finally — how praying gives him hope.
So — first — the situation. We’ll begin in verse two. David writes…
Psalm 6:2–3 ESV
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 3 My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?
Skipping to verse five we read…
Psalm 6:5–8 ESV
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? 6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7 My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. 8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
Biblical scholars aren’t one hundred percent certain of the exact situation that’s the cause of David’s suffering here. Many believe it may have been suffering due to some illness that brought him near to death. Others think this might be suffering David experienced due to his sin with Bathsheba. Others say this suffering is due to the rebellion of his son Absalom — which is the last situation mentioned in the superscriptions — the descriptions at the beginning of the psalms — back in psalm three.
Though we don’t have one hundred percent certainty as to the reason for David’s suffering — for those of us suffering — due to an illness or some kind of medical situation — or due to the sins of others against you — which we’ll look at more closely in a future sermon — this is a psalm for you to return to again and again.
Look at what David says about his experience of this suffering. He says he is languishing in verse two. A Hebrews word used only here in the Old Testament. The idea is that he’s fainting, frail, fading away in his strength and emotions because of his suffering.
Also — in verse two — David says that he’s troubled — and then says he’s greatly troubled in verse three. The word troubled has the idea of being horrified, terrified, or alarmed. And — as I said — if being troubled isn’t bad enough — he says he’s greatly troubled. He’s exceedingly horrified. Utterly terrified. He’s very alarmed.
Which leads him to ask “how long?” in verse three. “God, how long will this suffering last? How long will my bones tremble? How long will I be troubled?”
In verse six he says that he’s weary — he admits that he’s struggling. Later in the verse he mentions weeping — which he’ll bring up again in verse eight. In verse seven he mentions both the grief he’s experiencing — because of his suffering — and how he’s growing weak because of it.
Listen — if you can relate to any of what David is describing — maybe not all of it — or maybe all of it — but if you can relate to what David’s describing in his suffering — then this is the psalm for you. And — if you can’t relate to what David’s saying — because you’re not suffering — this psalm is still for you — for two reasons.
First, you know people who are suffering — and you can be a giver of hope to them. This psalm may just be what God uses to help someone you know experience suffering and do so with hope.
The second reason is this: Though you may not be suffering right now — you will experience suffering some day. That’s not a threat or clever rhetoric — just look around at the world. Take your eyes off of a screen for a moment and see what’s going on all around you.
Last month I mentioned how I went to an event to celebrate the life and ministry of my friend Scott McKee who’s a pastor in our denomination. Scott’s dying of cancer. This is his third battle with it. Knowing that I was going to attend the event — and also knowing I was going to be preaching on suffering — I searched for some books on suffering and came across this book: The Dying Man Lives: Biblical Hope for Confronting Cancer and the End of Life by Brian Zimmerman.
Brian went from being healthy to having some shortness of breath. That seemingly minor health issue became a stage four cancer diagnosis five months later. The book is his journal entries about his experience of dying — and doing so with hope because of his faith in Jesus Christ. A process that took just over three years from his diagnosis to his death last year.
Here are some things Brian had to say about suffering and death.
“As a friend of mine said: Nobody gets out of here alive,” and it is reckless to pretend otherwise. Still, we all seemed surprised by our own death.” (21)
A statement true — not only of death — but also of suffering. We don’t get out of this world alive — nor out of this world without suffering. Yet death and suffering still surprise us, don’t they?
He writes, “I think as a culture we have done what we can to isolate ourselves from death, both ours and those around us. We have lost the urgency of preparing to die.” (24) Yet later — on our curiosity about how the world will end — he writes, “It matters not if the world goes out with a bang or a whimper; what matters is how you go out.” (35)
Again — statements true not just of dying — but of suffering as well. We do everything — don’t we — to isolate ourselves from suffering and those who are suffering. Yes — occasionally — the person is too close to us to be avoided — a child, sibling, spouse, or parent. But — other than that — we go about our lives doing quite well at ignoring the suffering of others around us.
One last quote from the book. “As Christians, we serve someone who was born for the sole purpose of dying. The servant is not above the master, nor the pupil above the teacher. If our master and teacher spent a short life preparing to die, how can we do less?” (11)
And Jesus’ path to death was through much suffering. The servant is not above the master — let the followers of Jesus understand.
Back to our psalm. David says something that’s odd sounding to our ears — in verse five — when he writes…
Psalm 6:5 ESV
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?
Sheol — if you’re unfamiliar with the term — is the place of the dead — the grave. So it seems like David’s saying that those who die no longer praise God. But if you’re familiar with the Bible — you know that the dead do in fact praise God. For example — in the vision of Heaven that John records in the book of Revelation — in numerous places we read of God being presently praised. Like…
Revelation 5:9–14 ESV
9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
So how do we reconcile what David prays in our psalm with what we read in other places in the Bible? The easiest reconciliation — I believe — is to take into account that David is writing a song — and songs are poetic — meaning — psalms are poetry. And the literary genre of poetry uses lots of language that is metaphorical. So — instead of this being a factual statement about life after death — what David is saying — essentially — is, “God, if I die — I won’t be able to praise you for delivering me from this suffering so that others hear of your greatness. So — if that’s your desire God — for others to hear of your greatness in delivering me from this suffering — you’ll need to do just that — and I will praise you if you do so.”
Which leads us to David’s prayer. Let’s see what we can learn from the prayer of a man who’s in the midst of agonizing suffering. Back to verse one.
Psalm 6:1–2 ESV
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
And in verse four we read…
Psalm 6:4 ESV
4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
From David’s prayer I want us to see how we might pray in the midst of our suffering. First, he pleads with God to not rebuke him in anger. Similarly — he asks God to not discipline him in wrath. Both of these statements are echoes from psalm two and what God will do to those who rebel against him.
Psalm 2:4–6 ESV
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.”
So — in psalm six — in the midst of his suffering — David pleads with God to not treat him as those who purposefully and willfully live in rebellion. David doesn’t pray, “Don’t rebuke or discipline me” — no he prays, “Don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath” — for this is what God has promised to those who are not his people. Yes — the Lord will rebuke his people when they sin. Yes — he will discipline us when needed. But he does so not out of his anger and wrath — but out of his love — even when the discipline we experience comes by means of suffering.
This is why David has confidence in praying “be gracious to me” in verse two and even asking God to heal him. What’s he asking to be healed from? Again, we can’t say with certainty. However, when David writes of his bones being troubled — he’s saying that his whole being is troubled — that he’s troubled down to his bones. It’s another way of saying that his entire body is experiencing pain and suffering — so whatever he’s experiencing — it’s bad.
So he prays for God to be gracious and to heal him and deliver him — in verse four — followed by asking God to save him. Different Hebrew words used to express his longing to be relieved of his suffering — which tells us something important: It’s OK — biblical even — to plead with God to relieve you of the suffering you’re experiencing and to pray — for someone you know who’s suffering — to experience relief, rescue, and being saved from it.
We don’t want to antagonize God — or pray in a way that communicates that he’s an unloving, mean, suffering-inducing tyrant in the sky — but we can come to him as our loving Father and ask him for help — as we trust that his answer to our prayer will be perfect.
For that’s the hope of our prayers — not only while suffering — but our prayers at all times. Our hope is in our God who hears and answers our prayers. We’re in verse six.
Psalm 6:8–10 ESV
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. 10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
Here’s the hope of the sufferer’s prayer. Here’s hope for you — if you’re in the midst of suffering right now. There’s hope in knowing that God hears your weeping — and that he hears your pleas to him — that he accepts your prayers — and that he does and will always judge justly — he’s not unfair. This is what David reminds himself of — in his suffering — and this gave him great confidence in his God.
Now if these truths — which are meant to increase your hope in the midst of suffering — aren’t really doing it for you — can I try and help you see just how amazing they are?
For example — take that fact that God hears your weeping and your pleas to him. The God who created everyone and everything — from the tiniest particle light years away from us — to an eagle soaring over the Grand Canyon — to the busy birds just outside our building — this Creator of all things God hears you. I find that often — because we’re comfortable being casual with God — we’ve lost the wonder of his transcendence — a fancy theological word that means — and this is Pastor Josh’s definition — that God is “whoa.” Like a really big “whoa.” You get me. Like if we get all tongue tied when meeting a celebrity — a mere human — we need to get some of the “whoa” back in our relationship with God. Because there’s hope to be found in knowing that the really big “whoa” God hears your prayers.
And — that he accepts our prayers. Obviously we’re imperfect people who pray imperfect prayers. Yet our God is so good, gracious, and kind to us that — even though imperfect — he doesn’t reject our prayers — he receives them. This is his tenderness towards us — his compassion — his mercies towards us — suffering or not. More reasons for our hope.
Back to Brian’s story. The editor of the book wrote these words about Brian in the introduction: As cancer assaulted his body, the words of his God held true. (5)
This is what David understood — and this is what he’s trying to teach all of us sufferers — or soon to be sufferers: Suffering is sure to come — illness, disease, accidents, whatever the suffering may be — and yet — the words of God still hold true. Will this be your hope in suffering? Will this be the foundation upon which your life is built? Will this be the source of your comfort? Will the words of God hold true for you — or will suffering be the final word for you?
Suffering — and all of its causes — need not have the final word in your life. Because all of the reasons for our suffering — even for your suffering — have been defeated by the most reliable word to ever be found on earth — God’s Word — who came in flesh. His name is Jesus. And as Brian reminded us earlier — Jesus came to earth to suffer and die so that — in our suffering — and even in our death — we would have hope. For neither suffering nor death have the final word. Our glorious suffering and death defeating Savior is the final word. And he is a word of hope for all who believe in him. Let’s pray.
Father, as we pray to you right now we want to thank you for hearing our prayer. Thank you for listening to us. For receiving our requests. And for answering us — even when your answer is not what we want to hear.
Holy Spirit, many among us are suffering. May you comfort them right now. May you give them hope and peace. May they know of your powerful presence.
And — Jesus — you came to earth for the purpose of suffering and dying in our place — by our hands — for our eternal good. In the midst of our suffering — may you — our Suffering Savior — be our hope — now and always. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.
At both of our campuses — we now turn our attention to the table of our Lord. Hear the words of the apostle Paul.
1 Corinthians 11:23–32 ESV
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
As your pastor — I have the responsibility of warning you of how scandalous it is to take part in this sacrament while indulging in sin. And — as your pastor — I also have the high privilege to invite — in the name of our Lord Jesus — to his table — all who are repentant of their sins, believe in him alone for their salvation, and who — though imperfectly — are determined to lead a holy and God glorifying life.
This bread points us to the grace offered to us in the true Bread of Heaven — Jesus — who said…
John 6:47–48 NLT
47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life!
Who also said…
John 6:51 NLT
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
Who also said…
John 6:53–58 NLT
53 “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
And — yes — he knew that our feasting would require a costly — suffering filled — sacrifice.
Isaiah 53:3–12 NLT
3 He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. 9 He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. 10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. 11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. 12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
But here is glorious news. This man of sorrows — this Suffering Servant — this Jesus who was acquainted with deepest grief — was victorious over death. And he is the One who said…
Matthew 11:28 NLT
28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Rest is being offered to all of us today — right now rest is being offered to you. Rest — even in the midst of suffering. Rest — in the midst of cancer. Rest in the midst of depression. Rest in the midst of a broken relationship, a wayward child, infertility, or whatever is the cause of your suffering. Jesus is offering you rest — what grace — what hope is being offered to each of us in this meal.
At this time, I’d like to invite forward those who are going to be serving us. And — while they make their way forward — know that as the bread and cup are passed down your rows, you’re to take the bread on your own — but save the cup — which we’ll drink together. In the trays with the bread — there’s a gluten free option in the center of the tray. Eat the bread on your own — but save the cup — which we’ll drink together.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
May you go with hope — suffering or not — because you are loved by the God who hears your prayers. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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