Psalm 39:1-2, 4, 6-8, 12-13 NIV
I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.”
So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good.
But my anguish increased;
“Show me, Lord , my life’s end and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
without knowing whose it will finally be.
“But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
“Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.”
Here's another prayer of confession from Psalm 39. In this psalm the writer is overwhelmed by his guilt. He had promised to keep his life from transgression, but he found himself in the friendship of the wicked. God had a hold on his heart and therefore his knowledge of what is right and wrong was too terrible for him.
Some think that we'd be better off to ignore biblical teachings about right and wrong. We fail to understand that the right path leads to life and blessing. The wrong path leads to curse and death. That is the way to understand the Old Testament law. Since all of these psalms were written by Old Testament Jews, we must acknowledge their understanding of sin in terms of the law of Moses. The law is an expression of God's love, a light that leads to life.
When we hate the instruction of scripture we are rejecting ultimate love. But God does not stop trying to reach us. His grace is at work in us, calling us to love, trust and obey Him, for that is the path to life.
For the psalmist the heavy weight of God's grace working upon him felt like blows from a backhand. He was reminded of his mortality. He felt like a stranger in God's presence, estranged and unwelcome. The grace of God at work in his heart was so persistent that the man cried out that the Lord would turn his face away so he might breathe.
There's a beautiful hymn called Love That Will Not Let Me Go. That says it for me. When I was running from God in my younger days, I could have died several times. For whatever reason, Love did not let me go. I was rescued. I was awakened. I repented and turned back to the way that leads to life.
As the psalmist says "Everyone is but a breath." Acknowledging our mortality before the eternal God humbles us. Humility gives us the grace to turn.
I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.”
So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good.
But my anguish increased;
“Show me, Lord , my life’s end and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
“Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
without knowing whose it will finally be.
“But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
“Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help;
do not be deaf to my weeping.
I dwell with you as a foreigner,
a stranger, as all my ancestors were.
Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.”
Here's another prayer of confession from Psalm 39. In this psalm the writer is overwhelmed by his guilt. He had promised to keep his life from transgression, but he found himself in the friendship of the wicked. God had a hold on his heart and therefore his knowledge of what is right and wrong was too terrible for him.
Some think that we'd be better off to ignore biblical teachings about right and wrong. We fail to understand that the right path leads to life and blessing. The wrong path leads to curse and death. That is the way to understand the Old Testament law. Since all of these psalms were written by Old Testament Jews, we must acknowledge their understanding of sin in terms of the law of Moses. The law is an expression of God's love, a light that leads to life.
When we hate the instruction of scripture we are rejecting ultimate love. But God does not stop trying to reach us. His grace is at work in us, calling us to love, trust and obey Him, for that is the path to life.
For the psalmist the heavy weight of God's grace working upon him felt like blows from a backhand. He was reminded of his mortality. He felt like a stranger in God's presence, estranged and unwelcome. The grace of God at work in his heart was so persistent that the man cried out that the Lord would turn his face away so he might breathe.
There's a beautiful hymn called Love That Will Not Let Me Go. That says it for me. When I was running from God in my younger days, I could have died several times. For whatever reason, Love did not let me go. I was rescued. I was awakened. I repented and turned back to the way that leads to life.
As the psalmist says "Everyone is but a breath." Acknowledging our mortality before the eternal God humbles us. Humility gives us the grace to turn.
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