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Daily Devotion: Psalm 39:4-7

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Psalm 39:4-7     "LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.  (5)  Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.  (6)  Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.  (7)  And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee."

"My hope is in thee." I hope you've noticed that everyday's devotion has been on the subject of hope. I go back to Monday's thoughts where Paul reminds us that we are saved by hope. It is a very sad thing when it seems we have no hope of anything better in our lives. Hope keeps us going from day to day. Today's passage speaks of a time when the Psalmist seemed to have lost hope. There was a reason for that happening. From the words written, he had tried to make a determination to live a better life than what had been before. He would make determinations to do a particular thing or not to do a particular thing only to find himself falling short of the mark. Paul spoke of it in this manner, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." (Romans 7:19) We all have good intentions, but sometimes they just seem to fall short. Can we identify with that? I surely can. 

 The Psalmist was having that same problem. He came to the place of praying unto the Lord, "(Please let me) know how frail I am." That seems like an odd prayer, but we must come to the conclusion that we are not strong enough on our own. "Lord, I want to do better, but somehow it just keeps evading me. It is when we can come to that place that we are revived in hope because it is then, and only then, that we can place our complete confidence in the Lord and say from our hearts, "My hope is in thee."  Again, I quote the Apostle Paul, "... when I am weak, then am I strong." He came to that conclusion when the Lord spoke comfort into his heart, "My grace is sufficient for thee." (2 Corinthians 12:9;10) It is when we realize that our hope is in Christ alone that we can make this determination, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." (Psalm 62:5) Yes, Lord, "My hope is in thee."

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;

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