For you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. –
Psalm 38:15
Charles Spurgeon stated that today’s psalm is “full of grief and complaint from the beginning to the end.” The penitential nature of Psalm 38 gives a clear picture of the marks that sin can leave upon your life if it is not confessed with genuine repentance.
Sin affects not only your mental but your physical state. When Esau gave up his birthright, he felt the weight of what he had done. He was sorry for the consequences but not repentant nor accepting of the fact that it was his own doing.
On the other hand, King David knew “no soundness in [his] flesh… no health in [his] bones” when he sinned (Psalm 38:3). In a later psalm, he took sole responsibility for the results of his actions – actions that resulted in a pregnancy, the death of an upright military man, and the eventual death of his own baby. David pleaded to God for forgiveness: “Against you, and you only, have I sinned and done what was evil in your sight.” His prayer was “purge me… wash me… create in me a clean heart” (Psalm 51:4, 7-10).
Believer, ask the Lord today if there is any area of your life in which guidance or repentance is needed. There is a ray of hope and a sense of God’s grace in this psalm. Take your needs to the One who forgives and who will lead. Place your trust firmly in the Lord, wait for Him, and He will answer. He is your salvation.
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