Psalm 39:1-13 – When David was overwhelmed with God’s discipline in his life, he maintained a proper perspective and took it to God through prayer. Don’t talk to everyone else about your troubles while neglecting the one who can fix them.
Psalm 39
39 I said, “I will guard my ways,
that I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,
so long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was mute and silent;
I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse.
3 My heart became hot within me.
As I mused, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “O Lord, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
7 “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.
Do not make me the scorn of the fool!
9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth,
for it is you who have done it.
10 Remove your stroke from me;
I am spent by the hostility of your hand.
11 When you discipline a man
with rebukes for sin,
you consume like a moth what is dear to him;
surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and give ear to my cry;
hold not your peace at my tears!
For I am a sojourner with you,
a guest, like all my fathers.
13 Look away from me, that I may smile again,
before I depart and am no more!”
Proper Context (Psalm 39:1-3)
- Others can tell how authentic your faith is when troubling times come your way.
- You don’t need to broadcast to the world what needs to be laid before God.
Proper Perspective (Psalm 39:4-6)
- My life is too fleeting to overwhelm myself with trivial issues
. when you focus too much on concerns that won’t have a long shelf life.Anxietyincreases
Proper Hope (Psalm 39:7-11)
- God can strip anything away from me that attempts to replace him as my only hope.
- If God starts my discipline, nothing can stop
Proper Prayer (Psalm 39:12-13)
- You can better process the trials of this life if you remember that this isn’t your home.
- Don’t waste time complaining about what God has done when you could be praying
What could you pray for God to do in your temporal life that has eternal
implications?
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Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.