Psalm 38
1 Lord, do not punish me in your anger; in your wrath do not chastise me! 3 Your arrows have sunk deep in me; your hand has come down upon me. 4 There is no wholesomeness in my flesh because of your anger; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. 5 My iniquities overwhelm me, a burden too heavy for me.
The psalmist asks the Lord to not be punished for the consequences of his sins are overwhelming him. He tells the Lord of his hardships.
Sometimes we think we can’t go to the Lord because of our sins, or because we’re suffering consequences of our own making, so we let ourselves be overwhelmed. But it is precisely then that we should call on the Lord and offer our complaint.
6 Foul and festering are my sores because of my folly. 7 I am stooped and deeply bowed; every day I go about mourning. 8 My loins burn with fever; there is no wholesomeness in my flesh. 9 I am numb and utterly crushed; I wail with anguish of heart. 10 My Lord, my deepest yearning is before you; my groaning is not hidden from you. 11 My heart shudders, my strength forsakes me; the very light of my eyes has failed. 12 Friends and companions shun my disease; my neighbors stand far off. 13 Those who seek my life lay snares for me; they seek my misfortune, they speak of ruin; they plot treachery every day.
The psalmist laments his anguish, made worse by friends who do not care and enemies who enjoy his sufferings. Yet he calls on the Lord, to notice his pain.
Yes the Lord could tells us “I told you so” like a wise friend who has previously warned us not to do something, but guess what the Lord does. The Lord hears us, notices our pain, and answers us. He is in fact the answer.
14 But I am like the deaf, hearing nothing, like the mute, I do not open my mouth, 15 I am even like someone who does not hear, who has no answer ready. 16 Lord, it is for you that I wait; O Lord, my God, you respond. 17 For I have said that they would gloat over me, exult over me if I stumble.
Do we trust in him to save us? Do we trust that the Lord will not be like our enemies, gloating when we stumble. We must remember that the Lord is compassionate, and weeps when we stumble and are in pain.
18 I am very near to falling; my wounds are with me always. 19 I acknowledge my guilt and grieve over my sin. 20 My enemies live and grow strong, those who hate me grow numerous fraudulently, 21 Repaying me evil for good, accusing me for pursuing good. 22 Do not forsake me, O Lord; my God, be not far from me! 23 Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my salvation!
The psalmist confesses his sins and grieves for them and all the misfortune that befalls him. The effects of sin will not always be physical consequences. Even here the enemies seem to have the upper hand even when the psalmist does good, but it is a fraud. Only the Lord can ultimately give us life and make us strong. His strength shall overcome all evil, his salvation will bring us life everlasting. We need only to call on him to save us.