“The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer.” (Psalm 6:9)

This is a powerful psalm of lament. David composed this psalm amid or just after a bad time in his life. More than likely a serious time of some sin. David feels the guilt and realizes that he has let God down. Having the relationship with God that he does, David is sure that he will be punished. Importantly, David is also repentant. This is a well-known quality of David. He was a sinner to be sure, and some of his were really loo-loos. When his mistakes were pointed out, when he realized that God was offended by his actions he immediately became repentant. David wanted to do good.

Perhaps this is the reason God said David was a man after His own heart. David did evil things but was not evil. In Psalm 6 he presents himself as a man of great tears, flooding his bed with tears, weeping until the bed was soaked through. To be sure he had his detractors who pointed the finger at him, perhaps gloating about his sin and its subsequent tears. The realization that God heard him and forgave him was a source of great news to David, and he felt that his enemies would be put to shame when they found out that God did not chastise him but listened to his prayer.

We can be sure that when we have become a part of the family of God, He will hear our pleas. His ear is not closed to His children. God is longsuffering, desiring our repentance so that He can forgive us. When we come to Him in faith, he accepts our prayer exactly as He accepted David’s.

Task for Today: When your heart is broken because of your sin do not despair. Call on the Lord who will hear your plea and accept your prayer. Do not take sin lightly but do not give up hope. Jesus loves you, and He intercedes with God on your behalf. You have an advocate that David did not have. Pray through Jesus. If you seek Him with all your heart, He will hear you and accept you. Just keep praying.