“Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.” Psalm 6:4
Devotion:
Typically, when we reach out to people for help, we attach some sort of reason to our request. We might ask for a favor and remind the person that they owe us one, or we’ll tell them that if they help us, we’ll pay them back. Whatever the reason, we often engage in this kind of barter system because we understand that for someone to be moved to help us, they need a good reason.
But this creates somewhat of a dilemma for us in our relationship with God. When we cry out to Him, we can’t do so on the basis that He owes us. We can’t cry out with the promise that we’ll give Him something in return that He doesn’t already have. We can’t even cry out by trying to show Him that we deserve it based on our clean record. We really don’t have any reason to attach to our requests—at least not any reason that comes from us.
That’s why David’s request in Psalm 6 is so radically different from anything else in the world. When David makes his request to God, the reason he gives is actually God’s love. The basis for receiving anything from God isn’t found in who we are, but in who God is. God doesn’t owe us anything, we can’t earn anything, and we can’t pay Him back for anything. So why would God save and deliver us? Because He is an inexhaustible ocean of love. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the one Triune God—turns to save us out of His abundance. God can give and give and give, and He is never diminished in even the slightest.
So when we make our requests to God, we don’t attach any reason other than knowing that it will display His Fatherly love. Coming to God in this way honors Him.
Prayer:
Lord, we need deliverance. Our hearts need healing, our society needs peace, and this world longs for the hope of final redemption. We have more needs than we can count, and we lack the resources to meet them.
We know it is foolish when we try to barter with You. What could we possibly give You that You don’t already have? And how could we possibly posture ourselves to grab Your attention when we have been so sinful and selfish? So we abandon all hope in ourselves and cast down every empty thought of trying to negotiate with You.
Instead, Father, we cast ourselves upon Your love. You are full of all life, goodness, and grace, and that is why we appeal to You. It isn’t because of who we are, but because of who You are, that we run to You. Please, Lord, for the sake of Your love, finish what You have started in us. In Jesus’ name, we worship and pray. Amen.
