God Speaks
38 A psalm of David, asking God to remember him.
1 O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage!
2 Your arrows have struck deep,
and your blows are crushing me.
3 Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;
my health is broken because of my sins.
4 My guilt overwhelms me—
it is a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds fester and stink
because of my foolish sins.
6 I am bent over and racked with pain.
All day long I walk around filled with grief.
7 A raging fever burns within me,
and my health is broken.
8 I am exhausted and completely crushed.
My groans come from an anguished heart.
9 You know what I long for, Lord;
you hear my every sigh.
10 My heart beats wildly, my strength fails,
and I am going blind.
11 My loved ones and friends stay away, fearing my disease.
Even my own family stands at a distance.
12 Meanwhile, my enemies lay traps to kill me.
Those who wish me harm make plans to ruin me.
All day long they plan their treachery.
13 But I am deaf to all their threats.
I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.
14 I choose to hear nothing,
and I make no reply.
15 For I am waiting for you, O Lord.
You must answer for me, O Lord my God.
16 I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me
or rejoice at my downfall.”
17 I am on the verge of collapse,
facing constant pain.
18 But I confess my sins;
I am deeply sorry for what I have done.
19 I have many aggressive enemies;
they hate me without reason.
20 They repay me evil for good
and oppose me for pursuing good.
21 Do not abandon me, O Lord.
Do not stand at a distance, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
O Lord my savior.
39 For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
when the ungodly are around me.”
2 But as I stood there in silence—
not even speaking of good things—
the turmoil within me grew worse.
3 The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude
6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
8 Rescue me from my rebellion.
Do not let fools mock me.
9 I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,
for my punishment is from you.
10 But please stop striking me!
I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
11 When you discipline us for our sins,
you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
Each of us is but a breath. Interlude
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Listen to my cries for help!
Don’t ignore my tears.
For I am your guest—
a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.
13 Leave me alone so I can smile again
before I am gone and exist no more.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Psalm 38 is the interaction with God of a psalmist who is under attack, be it physical, mental, social, emotional, or spiritual or any combination of these. It is a soul who is being open and vulnerable with his or her God. It is a cry for help from a weary, frightened soul to the only One who truly can help. It is a search for any glimpse or glimmer of hope. It is someone gasping for air and grasping for an unseen but very much needed life-preserver. This kind of prayer touches God’s heart.
He will answer and rescue the desperate drowning person (even if it seems impossible to them). They just need to hang on and know that He is indeed lovingly holding them. That is why Christ died and why their own resurrection will take place. The LORD God does love them. He will rescue them and give them a whole new life whether here on earth, in heaven with Him for eternity, or both.
Psalm 39 is less intense and is, as Fr. Reardon* points out, for the ordinary gloomy workday. None of us are as happy all the time as we are on Sunday or on the mountaintop after a joyous worship service or a faith-building retreat with friends. That energized feeling is hard to maintain, but it can be by following the spiritual strategies of constant prayer, confession, reading and studying the Bible (daily), resting in the Lord, being silent before Him, serving others in the name of the LORD, etc.
* Fr, Patrick Henry Reardon, Christ in the Psalms, pp. 73-76.
Prayer: Dear LORD God, I really need to interact with You. I am desperate to hear Your perspective on all that is going on in my life. It seems to all be falling apart. Troubles seem to be coming at me from every direction. I don’t know what to do or where to look for help. You are my only hope, and I’m not even sure how You can help. I’m scared and overwhelmed. This psalm describes my physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual health. I’m in terrible shape all around. Please help me. I’m about to give up on life altogether. I’ve heard that You can help, God. Please show me the next step. I trust You as much as I can right now. Please come through. Then I’ll thank You and do whatever You say, Jesus. I’ve been told I need to rest in You, so I guess I’ll go to sleep now. We can talk more in the morning. Good night, Jesus. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will make a list of all the things that are coming at me right now. Then one by one, I’ll talk them over with God and do whatever He says.
- I will make an appointment with a smart (wise) person I know (and trust) and ask them to help me figure out a plan of action.
- I will look for ways to help someone on a gloomy workday smile. That might even make me feel better.
- I will go to church on Sunday or on a weekend trip with friends. Maybe we’ll have a joyous worship service or a time of building our faith in God and in each other.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.