The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
Said of the one who cares for the poor (v. 1): on the bed of sickness the Lord strengthens and tends them. A picture of God’s care for the sick.
KJV1Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. 2The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. 3The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. 4I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. 5Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish? 6And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
Israel’s prayer book: songs of trust, lament, thanks and praise, many of them by David.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Your weakness is the place where God’s grace and power show up most clearly.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
David counts God’s benefits: forgiveness and healing both come from Him. Remember what He has already done.
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Do not carry illness alone: call the elders of the church to pray over you and anoint you. The prayer is theirs to pray and the healing is the Lord’s to give; an unanswered prayer is not a verdict on your faith.
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Written by someone whose body and heart were giving out: God remains the strength of the heart when everything else fails.