WHEN DIFFICULTIES COME, WHAT DO WE SAY?

READ PSALM 39

DO WE CONTINUE TO PLACE OUR HOPE IN GOD?

Psalm 39:1-3

1 I said, “I will guard my ways,

that I may not sin with my tongue;

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,

so long as the wicked are in my presence.”

2 I was mute and silent;

I held my peace to no avail,

and my distress grew worse.

3 My heart became hot within me.

As I mused, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue: 

As David dealt with the distresses in his life, he had determined not to sin by his speech. His silence protected him from rebelling against God, as well as from damaging his testimony before the wicked.

As the agony of his difficulty mounted within him, he could not keep his silence any longer:

Psalm 39:4-6

4 “O Lord, make me know my end

and what is the measure of my days;

let me know how fleeting I am!

5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,

and my lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah

6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow!

Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;

man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

David does not sin, he does not rebel or speak against God, he just asks his Lord to help him remember the frailty and shortness of human life.

This psalm should be a warning about how we react to our own difficulties. Are we committed not to speak against God and not to damage our testimony of faith in Him before the unsaved? When we complain, or become angry or bitter, we are rebelling against God.

Our testimony of faith in Christ can be tainted by the way we deal with life’s situations. Are we shining witnesses to our spouse and children? Do those people who live in close contact with us know us as complainers? David had committed not to speak against his God, no matter what his circumstances were.

David’s reflection also caused him to look at his life with an awareness of its frailty and brevity. Are our reactions and attitudes so earthly that we forget how momentary our life is?

God’s intention is always to draw us to Him, to promote dependence upon Him. Our trials are a gift of God, as they put our priorities in perspective and expose our frailty.

Psalm 39:7-11

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?

My hope is in you.

8 Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Do not make me the scorn of the fool!

9 I am mute; I do not open my mouth,

for it is you who have done it.

10 Remove your stroke from me;

I am spent by the hostility of your hand.

11 When you discipline a man

with rebukes for sin,

you consume like a moth what is dear to him;

surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah 

David’s reactions are a good example for us. Totally dependent on God, he recognizes that all is under the control of His Sovereign Lord, and repents, asking God to deliver him.

Are these our reactions to the difficulties of life? Do we continue to place our hope in God? Do we examine ourselves before we judge others? Do we guard our hearts and minds, as we recognize the sovereignty of God in all our situations?

I am afraid that often we are driven by pride, thinking that we deserve better than what we have been given. We look at others as the cause of our misery. We spin our wheels, in our desire to change our circumstances.

Psalm 39:12-13

“Hear my prayer, O Lord,

and give ear to my cry;

hold not your peace at my tears!

For I am a sojourner with you,

a guest, like all my fathers.

13 Look away from me, that I may smile again,

before I depart and am no more!” 

David does not desist from asking God for reprieve. But he realizes that he is just a pilgrim on earth.

Do we look at our lives on earth the way we should? We are temporary sojourners, pilgrims, progressing through life not as victims, but as witnesses of God’s power and glory.

1 Peter 2:11-12

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 

Life is hard! We certainly can ask God for reprieves, knowing that He is in control. We should commit to keep our tongue from sinning. And remembering the brevity of our lives, we should make sure that they invite others to recognize the presence and power of our God, Who deserves all glory.