Saturday 28 January, 2017

1 I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.” 2 So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; 3 my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: 4 “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. 5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.[b] 6 “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. 7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. 8 Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. 9 I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this. 10 Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand. 11 When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consume their wealth like a moth— surely everyone is but a breath. 12 “Hear my prayer, Lord, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were. 13 Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.”

Not the most uplifting Psalm I have read. This is obviously a season of trouble and lowliness for David.  A depressed state of mind, and he is obviously at war with, and in his soul. The verses that capture me personally though, are vs4-7.

Here David is expressing a desire to understand and comprehend that his life is such a fleeting moment to that of the eternal, powerful existence of God. “Each man’s life is but a breath”. He goes “to and fro”,”bustles about but only in vain”. For me, vs7 is then the crescendo. . . .”my hope is in you”.

It is good for me to stop and ponder the greatness of God, and that in all I try to do and achieve, it is all in vain unless my hope is in God. I know that he commands and desires me to “Be still and know that I am God.” . This requires intention, this requires positioning, this requires stopping. This is the dining table that nourishes my faith and hope in Him.

Father, your greatness no one can truly fathom. My life is but a breath, but a breath that you granted, and may my hope always be planted in You, beyond anything else on this planet. All praise to You. Amen.

Written by Steve Fell