Day 11: Nothing to Argue With
Read: Psalm 6:1–5
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
— Psalm 6:2 (ESV)
Reflect
"Be gracious to me." In English that is four words. In Hebrew it is one: ḥonneni. It may be the shortest prayer in the Psalter.
The word means to show favor to someone who cannot earn it. That is the heart of grace. It is not a reward or a wage. It is kindness given to a person who has nothing to pay with. When God described himself to Moses, this was one of the first words he used: "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious" (Exodus 34:6).
David is under the LORD's discipline here ("rebuke me not in your anger," v. 1), and he does not argue his innocence. Look at the reason he gives. He does not say, "Be gracious to me, for I have been faithful," or "for I deserve better." He says, "Be gracious to me, for I am languishing." I am fading. I am weak. My bones are troubled.
That is the whole argument. Weakness, not merit.
There is something freeing in that. You do not have to build a case before you pray. You do not have to prove you are worth helping. You come with nothing to argue with except your need, and that is exactly the kind of person grace is for.
When the weight comes today, you do not need a long prayer. One word will do.
Across Scripture
God proclaims his name to Moses as gracious (Exodus 33:19; 34:6), and David prays the same word in his great psalm of repentance (Psalm 51:1). Jesus tells of a tax collector who could only say, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" and went home justified (Luke 18:13–14). Hebrews invites us to "draw near to the throne of grace" to find help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Sit With It
Pray only this today, every time you feel the weight: "Be gracious to me." Notice how many times you need it.
Pray
Be gracious to me.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.