A couple of days ago I heard someone say the old cliché, “You made your bed, now lie in it.” That statement makes me cringe. The mindset promotes the idea that if you make a wrong choice, you are forever stuck with the consequences. I don’t know about you, but I’ve made some bad decisions. Sinful ones. I’ve made mistakes in my relationships, attitude, speech, finances, career, and in a million other ways. I’ve been a Christ-follower for more than twenty years, and still, I can’t count the times I’ve found myself in a mess of my own making. If I got what I deserved, I’d be in enormous trouble. I’d be a fool to ask for justice. I’m in desperate need of mercy.
As I study the Scriptures, one of the things I love most about King David is his honesty. There were exceptions, but on David’s best days he was a man of candor. David called things the way he saw them, and he didn’t attempt to make things seem better than they were. In Psalm 38 we find David in a mess of his own making. We don’t know for sure what he’d done, but we know he was suffering the consequences. According to the text, David was:
- Facing God’s wrath (Psalm 38:1)
- Suffering from physical problems (Psalm 38:3-8)
- Experiencing depression (Psalm 38:9-10)
- Abandoned by friends (Psalm 38:10-11)
- Dealing with political enemies (Psalm 38:12)
- Out of strength (Psalm 38:13-14)
- Sorry for his sin (Psalm 38:18)
When other people have wronged us, it’s natural to cry out to God for vindication. After all, God is a God of justice. But what about when we are the offender? What happens when we are the guilty party?
The text makes it clear David understood he’d sinned. David didn’t ask for God’s help on the basis that he deserved it. Clearly, he didn’t. Instead, David confessed his sin (38:18), waited for the Lord (38:15), begged God not to forsake him (38:21), asked for God’s help (38:22), and requested that he be spared from God’s wrath (38:1).[1]
In short, David asked God for mercy.
We’ll be wise to make a habit of doing the same. Thankfully, the Bible is not a book that promotes the idea, “You made your bed, now lie in it.” Jesus destroyed that notion at Calvary. As Christians, we do not get what we deserve. Jesus got what we deserve on the cross. And that should make us the most merciful people on the planet. When we foul up let’s not try to hide it. Let’s be quick to plead for the mercy Jesus died to give us. And let’s be sure to contemplate His mercy long enough for it to change us.
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23)
[1] D.A. Carson, For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word, (Wheaton: Crossway, 1998).
One Response
“You’ve made your bed” is how it feels in a truly miserable marriage … You’ve made a vow before God, now pay it! How much better I might have done to ask for mercy. Then again, maybe it was God’s mercy that he divorced me.