Psalm 39
Psalm 39
I said, " I will guard my ways
that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will keep a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence."
I was silent and still'
I held my peace to no avail;
my distress grew worse,
my heart became hot within me.
While I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
"Lord, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.
Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
they heap up, and do not know who will gather.
"And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Do not make me the scorn of the fool.
I am silent; I do not open my mouth,
for it is you who have done it.
Remove your stroke from me;
I am worn down by the blows of your hand.
"You chastise mortals
in punishment for sin,
consuming like a moth what is dear to them;
surely everyone is a mere breath.
"Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear to my cry;
do not hold your peace at my tears.
For I am your passing guest,
an alien, like all my forebears.
Turn your gaze away from me, that I
may smile again, before I
depart and am no more."
We are so small, compared to His greatness. Our lives so short, compared to His eternity. I admit that this Psalm was a struggle for me to write about, especially when you read the last verse.
It reminds me of Lamentations. It reminds me that believers face sadness and sorrow. They face grief. They fear their own shortcomings.
I think from time to time we all seek assurance.
In this Psalm David is certainly seeking some assurance. He longs to be who the Lord wants Him to be and is struggling to bring that about. When he looks at his life and all the ways he has failed God he cries out - guilt-stricken and filled with hopelessness. He finds himself looking at his life through the eyes of an eternal God and suddenly sees how seemingly insignificant and small he is in the grand scope of time.
We are but a breath. Life is fleeting.
It is easy to read a passage like this an be weighed down by the heaviness of it; by the burden of our sinfulness. However, how thankful I am that we have a Savior who has taken that burden away even in all our smallness and humanness.
This passage motivates me to look at my own life and how I am living in light of the gift of eternity. If my life truly is a mere breath than I must consider my life and its direction. I must ponder on my actions and repent of any wrongdoing. But He is faithful. My Jesus saves me from the hopelessness that plagues David in this passage and He inspires me to embrace this fleeting life in the power of His name. He humbles me through His mercy and grace as He leads me toward eternity. Even though I fail Him, His mercies are new every morning. I repent, and I am free through His grace and the power of His Holy Spirit.
So yes, my life is fleeting and a mere breath. Yes, I sin and fail Him constantly. There will certainly be some days like David I will wish He would turn from me so as not to have to take a hard look at my faults or my sins. But this is something that refines and pushes our faith and makes it stronger. When we take a hard look at ourselves and then look to His majesty, we find truth and guidance. We find grace and hope.
In the very next Psalm, David shouts out and praises Him:
Our lives may be fleeting, but thanks to our Savior Jesus Christ, our sins are fleeting too. We may have feelings of hopelessness now and then, but we can be assured that He is our hope. Our Savior. We may fail Him daily but He will never fail us. He is leading us on the path of redemption and delivering us one breath at a time.
I said, " I will guard my ways
that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will keep a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence."
I was silent and still'
I held my peace to no avail;
my distress grew worse,
my heart became hot within me.
While I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
"Lord, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.
Surely everyone goes about like a shadow.
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
they heap up, and do not know who will gather.
"And now, O Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you.
Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Do not make me the scorn of the fool.
I am silent; I do not open my mouth,
for it is you who have done it.
Remove your stroke from me;
I am worn down by the blows of your hand.
"You chastise mortals
in punishment for sin,
consuming like a moth what is dear to them;
surely everyone is a mere breath.
"Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear to my cry;
do not hold your peace at my tears.
For I am your passing guest,
an alien, like all my forebears.
Turn your gaze away from me, that I
may smile again, before I
depart and am no more."
We are so small, compared to His greatness. Our lives so short, compared to His eternity. I admit that this Psalm was a struggle for me to write about, especially when you read the last verse.
It reminds me of Lamentations. It reminds me that believers face sadness and sorrow. They face grief. They fear their own shortcomings.
I think from time to time we all seek assurance.
In this Psalm David is certainly seeking some assurance. He longs to be who the Lord wants Him to be and is struggling to bring that about. When he looks at his life and all the ways he has failed God he cries out - guilt-stricken and filled with hopelessness. He finds himself looking at his life through the eyes of an eternal God and suddenly sees how seemingly insignificant and small he is in the grand scope of time.
We are but a breath. Life is fleeting.
It is easy to read a passage like this an be weighed down by the heaviness of it; by the burden of our sinfulness. However, how thankful I am that we have a Savior who has taken that burden away even in all our smallness and humanness.
This passage motivates me to look at my own life and how I am living in light of the gift of eternity. If my life truly is a mere breath than I must consider my life and its direction. I must ponder on my actions and repent of any wrongdoing. But He is faithful. My Jesus saves me from the hopelessness that plagues David in this passage and He inspires me to embrace this fleeting life in the power of His name. He humbles me through His mercy and grace as He leads me toward eternity. Even though I fail Him, His mercies are new every morning. I repent, and I am free through His grace and the power of His Holy Spirit.
So yes, my life is fleeting and a mere breath. Yes, I sin and fail Him constantly. There will certainly be some days like David I will wish He would turn from me so as not to have to take a hard look at my faults or my sins. But this is something that refines and pushes our faith and makes it stronger. When we take a hard look at ourselves and then look to His majesty, we find truth and guidance. We find grace and hope.
In the very next Psalm, David shouts out and praises Him:
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God (Psalm 40:1-3).
Our lives may be fleeting, but thanks to our Savior Jesus Christ, our sins are fleeting too. We may have feelings of hopelessness now and then, but we can be assured that He is our hope. Our Savior. We may fail Him daily but He will never fail us. He is leading us on the path of redemption and delivering us one breath at a time.
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