The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health. 4As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” 5My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?” 6And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. 7All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. (Psalm 41:3-7)

This sickness is going to be the death of me! You've heard people say something to this effect when they have a virus or a cold that is causing all kinds of aches, pains, chills, coughs, congestion, and other problems. I had a friend in Houston who referred to a friend who had gotten sick, saying, "He done got bad sick." Like there's a good sick.

David is sick, and his illness will likely take him, if the study notes are correct. This psalm is written around the time of Absalom, the son who ultimately betrays David. The story reads as any good story, biblical or fiction, It takes place in 2 Samuel, starting essentially in chapter 13 and lasts throughout the remainder of the book, but David is soft in his old age and refuses to address the Absalom issue. Absalom does not come to see his aging and dying father, and in truth, is thinking of a means to take the crown from the old man as David finds himself.

David is still hoping God will heal him and restore him, but he also knows his enemies lurk. The question is, when do we feel like David, like the whole world has turned against us? When do we feel like God, Himself, has turned HIs back on us? Does it take a tragedy like Kerrville to get us there or does it take dramatically less to have us feel like we are all alone?

We know God is with David, as the full psalm notes as well. We know God is with us in good and in bad. David finishes his psalm with this flurry:

"By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. 12But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. 13Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen." (Psalm 41:11-13)

The enemy, sin, Satan and death, will not triumph over us. Our "integrity" in this life is found through faith in Christ, who clothes us in righteousness before God, and in whom we find eternal life with God.

We bless God's holy and precious name in our prayers, thoughts, and deeds. Pray we share this blessed God's truth with others. Amen.