READ Psalm 39. 1 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.” 2 So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; 3 my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: 4 “Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. 5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. 6 “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. 7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. 8 Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. 9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this. 10 Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand. 11 When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consume their wealth like a moth—surely everyone is but a breath. 12 “Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were. 13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.”
DESPERATION. Everything in life is eventually taken away from us after a tragically brief time of enjoyment (verses 4–5). The bleakness of this can lie heavy on the soul. The psalm ends without a note of hope, and that is instructive. It is remarkable that God not only allows his creatures to complain to him of their ills but actually records those wails in his Word. “The very presence of such prayers in Scripture is a witness to His understanding. He knows how men speak when they are desperate.”35 God is confident we will look back at that and close our mouths, lost in wonder at the spectacular love that planned even our darkest moments.
Prayer: Father, I can get so confused and angry at your dealings that I might also say, “Look away from me.” But your Son lost your presence on the cross, so that now you patiently stay near me even when I don’t deserve it. I praise you for being a God who understands. Amen.