Many of us are uncomfortable with tears. I'm embarrassed if there are tears in my eyes at the end of a film. Often, we're embarrassed by someone who, while telling us of a struggle or heartbreak in their lives, begins to cry. We might even tell them that there's no need to cry, as if tears are an inappropriate response to suffering. The Bible, however, gives us permission to cry.

In this psalm, David shares that his bed is soaked with tears (Psalm 6:6). When reading the Psalms, we must always bear in mind that this is poetry, and exaggeration is a feature of poems. However, there's still no doubt that David is under great stress in his life.

Whatever the exact circumstances that have led to David's depressed state, he knows that he has no right to demand that God deliver him. As he looks back on the sins in his life, all he can do is to throw himself on God's mercy (vv. 1-2).

Every part of our being is connected. If we're in mental anguish, it can affect our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This is the case with David; his body and his soul are in torment (vv. 2-3).

In such dark times, the first place to turn to is God. Like David, we can trust that He will hear and answer-not because we deserve it, but ″because of your unfailing love″ (v. 4). Once the Lord has delivered him, David can acknowledge God's goodness in the presence of his people (v. 5).

At the heart of David's sufferings are his enemies (v. 7). We're not given specific details, but they were probably those who sought his life. Enemies take many forms. We may have invisible spiritual enemies seeking to devour us. Sometimes, even life itself can seem to turn against us.

As we drink from the waters of Psalm 6 and reflect deeply on David's words of lament, let us not forget the final wonderful words of hope: the Lord hears his weeping (v. 8) and accepts his prayer (v. 9), and all his-and our-enemies will be overwhelmed (vv. 8-10). And our confidence is even greater than David's because we know that neither ″trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword″ can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35). Along with David, we can be confident that ″the Lord has heard my cry for mercy″ (Psalm 6:9).