NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

July 10

Scripture focus:
I said, "I will guard my ways
That I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence."
I was mute and silent,
I refrained even from good,
And my sorrow grew worse.
My heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
"LORD, make me to know my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.
"Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.
"Surely every man walks about as a phantom;
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
"And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You.
"Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the reproach of the foolish.
"I have become mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is You who have done it.
"Remove Your plague from me;
Because of the opposition of Your hand I am perishing.
"With reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
You consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely every man is a mere breath. Selah.
"Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner like all my fathers.
"Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again
Before I depart and am no more." Psalm 39

In baseball, if a player goes an extended period of time without getting a hit, the tension amongst his fans builds as they anticipate his next hit. Technically, it is perfectly plausible that this person will never hit again but fans have faith that it will happen. (This analogy could also work for “football” players and scoring goals, if that helps during this season of World Cup.) These Psalms seem to work in much the same way. Tension builds in the times where God does not act but the Psalmist (I use this word because the authorship of the Psalms is not entirely clear, and probably rests with more than one person) never seems to lose hope that he will act. Or perhaps, at the very least, the Psalmist does not lose faith in God’s ability to act. I have a responsibility to cry out in both lament and hope during times of distress. This will look different for each person so don’t hesitate to embrace the approach that feels most natural for you. swm

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