Psalm 39:7 "And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee."
It seems both the 38th and 39th Psalm were written at a time when David was
feeling very low and was expecting the heavy hand of the Lord to be brought
down upon him. Have you ever felt that way? I surely have. It is a terrible
feeling to think that God is about to bring down His wrath upon you. These two
Psalms speak of David's sorrow and seeking repentance in his life. May I say
that repentance is a necessary thing for all of God's children; yet, it is not
always an easy place to attain. There are stages of repentance, but self-denial
is required in order to get to the very heart of the matter. It isn't just a
matter of saying, "I'm sorry." We all know there are different reasons
for saying those two words, but more times than not, it is because we are sorry
that we got caught. David was seeking the true depth of repentance as he wrote
these words. In the 5th verse, David came to this conclusion, "... verily
every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah." Think about
this. We can sometimes lift ourselves up to think that we are more than what we
really are. I hope that sentence makes sense. We think too highly of ourselves
when we begin to compare ourselves to others. I can always find someone (or
think I have found someone) that is worse than I am. But when I truly compare
myself to what we are told in the Word of God, then I have to come to full
agreement with David. "verily every man at his best state is altogether
vanity. Selah." At my very best, I am still nothing. My ego does not like
to hear that, but my heart knows it is true.
So, how do we come to that full true repentance? David understood it. The
Apostle Paul understood it. He was inspired to write in Romans 2:4, "...
the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance." It is of God's mercy that
we are not consumed. His faithfulness and mercy are new every morning. I woke
up this morning with the words, "strength for today and bright hope for
tomorrow... Great is thy faithfulness unto me." I write all this to say
that guilt weighs heavy on our shoulders and we were never meant to have to
carry that weight. The only way around it is to place our confidence and
commitment in the Lord. David came to that understanding when he came to the
place where he could go no farther. It is either stay here and wither away or
place my dependence upon the Lord and go forward. "And now, Lord, what
wait I for? my hope is in thee."
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!