The title for my message this morning is A BACKSLIDER’S PRAYER. Now, I want to be sure you are listening closely and accurately. I did not say "A Backpacker’s Prayer." That would be a very different kind of prayer. This is a backslider’s prayer. You might ask: "But what is a backslider? I am not familiar with that term." It is a word that has rather fallen out of fashion. It was quite commonly used a generation ago among Christians, but not so much today. What does it mean?

I want to point out that the word "backslider" is not a Biblical word. It does not occur anywhere in the Bible, as far as I know, not even in any of our many translations. But I still think it is a helpful word. What do we mean by a backslider? First of all, a backslider is a believer, a Christian, a follower of Christ. This is inherent in the word. To slide back, a person must first step forward. So, a backslider has made a definite commitment to Christ as Savior at some point in his/her life. But somewhere along life’s journey, he/she has stopped walking close to Christ. It may have happened suddenly, or it may have come on gradually. It could have happened quite recently, or it may be a long term condition. The circumstances and events may vary tremendously. But the bottom line is the same. This person is no long walking in obedience to and in fellowship with Christ.

Psalm 6 is the cry of a believer who is out of fellowship with God, and who is experiencing the misery of the backslider. (Read Psalm 6)

We are told that the early church had a system of categorizing many of the psalms, and they used these categories to guide their readings in worship services in a kind of simple liturgy. Psalm 6 was one of 7 psalms belonging to a category called "penitential psalms". Penitence describes a feeling of regret and sorrow for sin and wrongdoing. These penitential psalms, then, were used in the early church in their worship services to give expression to their sorrow for and repentance from sin. The list of 7 psalms includes such well-know psalms as Psalm 32 and Psalm 51. In this summer sermon series of Sipping from the Psalms, I am trying to choose psalms that represent different themes or issues. Today I have chosen one of the less familiar psalms from this particular category.

It’s rather interesting that some modern commentators have questioned the inclusion of Psalm 6 among the penitential psalms. The reason for this is that the psalm makes no actual reference to sin and does not include any of the many Biblical synonyms for wrongdoing. Their interpretation of this psalm is that it is written by David at a time when he was so beaten up and broken down by his many enemies and difficulties, that he fears that God is disciplining him, even though he is not aware of any particular sin.

Personally, I am on the side of the early church on this one. I believe it is the cry of one who has sinned and therefore both feels and fears the disciplining hand of God. In part, I say that because of the very different tone of the psalms immediately before and after Psalm 6, in which David also confronts daunting problems and enemies, but does so in a very different tone and with a very different perspective. (Read Psalm 5:1-3 and Psalm 7:1, 3-6a) In these psalms, David also faces enemies, but he has great confidence in God’s presence on his side, and his intervention on his behalf. But in Psalm 6, he comes trembling and broken into God’s presence. In this psalm we see a number of experiences that are common to the backslider.

First is 1. A sense of deserving God’s anger. Look at verse 1: O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. We don’t know anything about David’s circumstances when he wrote this psalm. We only know that something had happened, he had done something that led him to fear God’s rebuke and discipline. He’s like a child who knows he’s done something wrong, something he’s been told not to do – and then a parent walks into the room and sees what he’s done. The child bursts into tears and cries: "Oh, Daddy, don’t spank me! Don’t punish me!"

I sometimes fear that, just as the word and concept of backsliding has fallen into disuse in many churches, so many Christians have lost the sense of fear of God’s discipline for sin. As with many other doctrines in the Word of God, we need balance in this area. One extreme is to teach that every pain or hardship that comes into our lives is a consequence of sin and the result of God’s discipline. This was the logic of Job’s friends. When Job was plunged into deep suffering, they concluded that the only explanation was that God was punishing him for some secret sins. In other words, they concluded that he was a covert backslider. The book of Job was written to correct that error in theology and application. Job’s friends were wrong! As Christians, we have been quick to embrace this teaching with open arms, as well we should. But in the process, I wonder whether the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. In our hurry to grasp the truth that not all suffering that comes into our lives is the result of God’s discipline for sin, we have concluded that none of the suffering that we experience is the result of sin, and that God does not discipline us when we do wrong.

The Bible teaches otherwise. The truth is laid down in the Old Testament in Proverbs 3:11-12 and then quoted in the New Testament in Hebrews 12:5-6: My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. This Scripture clearly proclaims that God will discipline and rebuke his children when they sin and when they go out of the path he has chosen for them. What is more, this discipline is an expression of his love for us. He loves us too much to allow us to continue unchallenged in our self-destructive path. If we understand this truth, then it follows that one symptom of the backslider is a fear that God will discipline and rebuke him for his wrong actions and disobedient choices.

The backslider, who knows what it is to walk in obedience to God, and yet who chooses to walk in disobedience, rightly fears the disciplining hand of God. And it is an awful way to live. God becomes an agent of fear, not comfort in his life. Like Adam and Eve, he no longer looks forward to walking with God in the cool of the day. Instead he runs to hide when he hears God’s voice.

Second, 2. Physical and emotional symptoms of distress. We see this in verse 2 and 3: …for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. There is the anguish of the soul: guilt, depression, anxiety. This in turn often creates literal physical symptoms and actual illnesses: headaches, backaches, colds, ulcers, stomach problems, heart problems. All of these can afflict the backslider. Let’s look at another psalm that expands on possible physical effects of backsliding. (Read Psalm 38:1-8). Now, be careful. I am not saying that everyone with a physical problem necessarily has a spiritual problem. But according to the Bible, the backslider is subject to a host of physical and emotional symptoms of distress.

Third, 3. A sense of God’s absence. We see this in the plaintive question raised at the end of verse 3 and the plea at the beginning of verse 4: How long, O LORD, how long? Turn, O LORD…Putting those two together, there is the sense that God has turned away, and is no longer positively engaged in the backslider’s life. The question asked is: "How long will this last, O LORD?" Not only is the backslider suffering, but there is the awful sense of suffering alone.

Fourth, there is 4. A fear of death. This is found in verse 5: No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave? This verse raises some interpretive and theological problems for us. This psalm, as we’ve mentioned, is written by David. Are we to conclude from this that he had no assurance or expectation of life after death? Without fully resolving the question, I would simply make two points. First, we are not sure just what the Old Testament saints knew and/or believed about the after life. There is not a great deal taught or said in the Old Testament about heaven or the hope of eternal life. There are some notable exceptions in certain Scriptures, but they are more like rays of hope, sunbeams shining through clouds, rather than the clear teaching we have in the New Testament.

Secondly, we must be careful in the psalms and other poetic literature to distinguish between emotional statements and statements of theological fact. I will just give you one case in point. In Psalm 13:1, David cries out: How long, O LORD! Will you forget me forever? Are we to conclude from his words that God has, in fact, forgotten David? Or is David simple expressing his feeling that God has forgotten him? I think this statement in Psalm 6:5 is similar. David, in a backslidden condition, is afraid to die. He fears that if he dies, especially in his backslidden condition, he will be forever separated from God.

It is not my point, in this message, to address the complicated arguments for and against eternal security and the doctrine of "once saved, always saved." I am simply making a point that the backslidden believer often has a fear of dying. The wonderful gift of assurance of salvation, on an emotional level, is often missing in the life of the backslider.

Finally, there is 5. Deep seated sorrow and despair, especially at night. Look at verse 6-7: I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Here his sense of guilt and alienation from God and the multiplying of all his problems and enemies converge to literally overwhelm him. He especially describes his feelings at night. It is sometimes possible during the day to put a brave face on things, to cover our spiritual despair with busyness and constant activity and noise, and to seek out cheerful companions to distract us. But at night, the distractions are gone, the music dies and the backslider is alone with his thoughts.

Does this psalm describe you? Are you a backslider? Have you departed, knowingly and deliberately, from the path of obedience to God? Are you out of fellowship with God? If so, there is good news. There is a way back. In fact, it’s right here in this very psalm. Remember, the title of the sermon is: The Backslider’s Prayer.

The way back is through prayer. Pray. This whole psalm is a prayer. In essence, David’s backsliding ended when he wrote, or spoke the opening word of the psalm: O LORD! When he broke the silence in his relationship with God, and ventured into open, real communication with the God of the universe. There is no other way. If you want to return to fellowship with God, you have to open your mouth, and begin to pray. Often those first words are the most difficult to speak. O LORD! It is the expression of the act of the will to make things right.

But how and what should we pray? Plead the mercies of God. Notice this in David’s prayer. He doesn’t make excuses. He doesn’t argue that he does not deserve the discipline of God. He simply pleads for mercy. In verse 2: Be merciful to me, LORD. And in verse 4: Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. He does not argue his own merits, or excuse his own behavior. He simply places himself in God’s hands and asks for his mercy.

Note the outcome in verses 8-10: Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace. Three times, in synonymous phrases, he repeats his confidence that the Lord has heard his prayer: the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. From where does David gain such confidence? I think we can answer that question by noting a theological principle that David himself expressed in the greatest of all his penitential prayers, Psalm 51. Turn to verses 16-17: You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

This is one of the traits of David that I believe rendered him a man after God’s own heart. It was his willingness to confess his sins, and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness. Of the seven psalms specifically identified as penitential psalms, David wrote five of them. In this, he is in stark contrast to his predecessor, King Saul. On two occasions early in his reign, King Saul directly disobeyed the command of God, given through the prophet Samuel. On both occasions, when confronted with his sin, he offered excuses. He tried to shift the blame. "I had no choice. Conditions were desperate. I was compelled. The people made me do it." But when David was confronted by the prophet Nathan with his great sin in the matter of Bathsheba and Uriah, he offered no excuses. He simply bowed his head and confessed: I have sinned against the Lord. One could argue that the sins of King Saul were not nearly as serious or drastic as the sins of King David. Yet the Lord took the kingdom away from Saul and gave it to David. Often times it is not so much the size of our sins, but the stubbornness of our hearts that keeps us from seeking God’s forgiveness and cleansing. Don’t make excuses. Don’t seek to justify yourself. Simply admit your sin and cast yourself on the mercies of God.

Thirdly, Renounce your sins. The Old and New Testament speak with one voice on this truth. Proverbs 28:13 says it this way: He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. That is the path back to fellowship with God. The next verse goes on to describe the persistent backslider: Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble. Don’t harden your heart. Don’t persist in your disobedience. Confess and renounce your sin and you will find mercy.

The New Testament in turn makes a wonderful promise in I John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Then John goes on in almost the very next breath: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. Confession is never presented in the Scripture as an insurance policy that allows us to go on sinning. It is a way back to fellowship with God, a u-turn in the road of life which allows us to return to the path of obedience.

Are you in a backslidden condition this morning? Are you tired of the misery? Because of all God’s creatures, there is no one more miserable than the backslider. He sins. But unlike the unbeliever, he cannot enjoy his sin! Yet, by his persistent sinning, he denies himself the joys of fellowship with God. He is caught between two worlds and miserable in both! That is the bad news. The good news is that you don’t have to stay there. You can come back. You can be restored to fellowship and to the joy of your salvation. Pray the backslider’s prayer. Offer the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart. Renounce your sin. And God will receive you. He will forgive you. He will restore you.