4“O LORD,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.

Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.

“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.

6They visit me as if they were my friends,

but all the while they gather gossip,

and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.

7All who hate me whisper about me,

imagining the worst.

8“He has some fatal disease,” they say.

“He will never get out of that bed!”

9Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,

the one who shared my food, has turned against me.

10LORD, have mercy on me.

Make me well again, so I can pay them back!

11I know you are pleased with me,

for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.

12You have preserved my life because I am innocent;

you have brought me into your presence forever.

13Praise the LORD, the God of Israel,

who lives from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and amen! (NLT)

Yesterday we established the principle that God heals (v3). More, He is a loving, caring healer, ‘nursing’ His patients to health.

Following on from the principle David prays for healing. Note that it is not wrong to pray for our own health concerns. However, you will no doubt notice that David prays for restoration to health so that he can pay back his enemies. This inevitably raises questions in our minds, but commentators tend to point out that David is not talking about personal revenge, something forbidden in Scripture (Deut.32:35; Rom.12:19). But as king, he had the responsibility to punish wrongdoers, and to purge evil from the land. Because David was God’s anointed king, those speaking against him were actually speaking against God. David was supremely jealous for the Lord’s honour.

Perhaps even greater than the pain of sickness is the pain of treachery (v.9). Ultimately, this verse was fulfilled in Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Christ.

The Psalms divide into five distinct sections, or ‘books’. With Psalm 41:13, book 1 comes to a glorious end. For all that our ever-living God is (and has taught us) to Him be eternal praise! ”Amen and amen!”

(From next Monday, God-willing, we will embark on a fresh journey through the book of Acts. You might want to look out for all the healing miracles as the ministry of Jesus continues in and through His church, by the power of the Holy Spirit).