God's own heart

DEVOTION

PSALMS

GOD’S OWN HEART

 Ps 38

O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. 2 For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. 3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. 4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.

5 My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. 6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. 7 My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. 8 I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you. 10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. 11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away. 12 Those who seek my life set their traps, those who would harm me talk of my ruin;all day long they plot deception.

13 I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear, like a mute, who cannot open his mouth; 14 I have become like a man who does not hear, whose mouth can offer no reply. 15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God. 16 For I said, "Do not let them gloat or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips."

17 For I am about to fall, and my pain is ever with me. 18 I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. 19 Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous. 20 Those who repay my good with evil slander me when I pursue what is good.

21 O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.

NIV

It would appear this is a petition, prayer of repentance. This has been consider by some scholars as David’s response to be told by Nathan of his affair and subsequence behavior with Bathsheba. Even if this is not the cause of this petition, his offense against God was extremely meaningful to David. When we consider an offense against God, perhaps we should feel as horrible as David did. Sure, it took some time for him to come to this point. If this was the situation with Bathsheba, David spent many days involved in his sin, during which he even tried to cover it up with another sin. What we should consider is if we feel as badly as David did when we commit an offense against God. Perhaps we may not steal another man’s wife, or another woman’s husband, yet maybe we have. Surely we have not tried to cover it up by having someone killed. But what about other offenses? What about any offense against God? Have we become too comfortable with some level of sin in our life? Have we just accepted the fact that we have a certain attitude or behavior that we simply are not willing to acknowledge is an offense against God? The Spirit surely makes us aware of the slightest little offense. How do we respond? Do we just say, sorry God? What if we have shut off the Spirit, what if we have squelched the Spirit?

1 Thess 5:19-20

19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire;

NIV

When we are sensitive to the work of the Spirit in our life, we will know every little offense against God. But have we taken God’s grace for granted? Should we not feel the pain and anguish David is defining here in this petition? Let us not get too comfortable with any offense that we simply live as if it does not exist, whether that be in word, thought or deed. If we have unconfessed sin, that could be the cause of poor physical health. It certainly is the cause of poor spiritual health. Maybe it is simply an offense of not trusting him enough. Let us respond with the kind of feelings of David. Seeing how he feels pain and anguish over his sin, is it any wonder God testified that David was a man after his own heart. Let us be that kind of person. Let us be a person after God’s own heart.