I recently received an e-mail from a young man who was courageously confessing a long-fought battle in the war against sin. His words were serious and sober, straining under the weight of the burden that he was carrying. Revealing his pain, he was downcast and defeated. Humilty prevailed, as it is hard to stand too proudly when you are buckled by the brunt of rebuke and conviction. Psalm 38 could have been the background music for his message.

“My wounds fester and are loathesome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish and heart.” (v.5-8)

Penitence is defined as “feeling or expressing remorse over one’s misdeeds or sins”. Psalm 38 is David’s appeal for relief from a severe and painful “illness” of God’s rebuke for his sin. His outer pain is symptomatic of his internal turmoil. (”For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.” -v.17-18) The consequence of his sin is wracking his body from the inside out.

His only hope is to cry out to the LORD in desparation and despair. “O Lord, do not forsake me, be not far from me, O my God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.” (v.21-22) This renewed appeal is instructive for our course of action in the midst of our struggles.

Prayer: Lord, when I feel beaten down in the midst of my struggles and battles, may my first cries be out to You, knowing that You are my strength and my hope for renewal and restoration.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 at 5:19 am and is filed under Daily Readings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.