Create in Me a Clean Heart: The 40-Day Challenge (Psalms)Sample

Man Is Impatient and Full of Questions

Psalm 39

I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse…David’s words.

And somehow they are mine, probably yours too. The experience is timeless. When we are distressed by disappointment, fear, injustice, loss, uncertainty, - by life itself, we often isolate ourselves, and we analyze, unravel, solve - and often we cry. Questions float through the mind, and we want answers, now, as soon as possible. But it’s noisy. Silence is loud. Restlessness. Wrong thoughts. Oh Lord, make me know my end… for what do I wait? David wonders. Slowly he recognizes his unworthiness, his sinfulness, his frailty, his impotence. He knows that man is like a breath. And he turns to God, the Lord. He feels relief, an end to his wandering, when he realizes that everything around him is fleeting and empty. My hope is in you, he finally concludes, refreshed. I agree.

I love the psalms. I love how they touch my everyday life. I love when, like David, tears can wash my vision and my soul. In a world of unrest, insecurity, and anxiety, the real refuge for a troubled heart is God, of whom David talks in his psalms. The God who protects, gives security and eternal love in the very same way today. When I am thus unburdened, in His presence, I just stand still and listen. I am overwhelmed with serenity, security and gratitude. In the unquestionable perishability of everything that surrounds us, it is an indescribable, imperishable blessing. I was mute and silent; I held my peace… because You are all of my hope.