Praying When Your Foolish Sin Stinks Up Your Life | Prayer on Psalm 38

Psalm 38 is a great example of the power of poetry to make us feel. We can feel David’s own misery and frustration with himself in this psalm. He realizes how much his own stupid and foolish sins have stunk up his life and his relationships, and he needs God’s help. Powerful word pictures in this psalm convey to us his anguish. It’s amazing how poetic words like this can actually transfer the emotions of someone living 3,000 years ago into our own emotions today! By inspiriting David’s prayer, the Holy Spirit has given us a vocabulary with which we can honestly and completely come to him with our sins. Let’s do that together in this podcast episode.  Psalm 38 ESV A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.  1 O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!  2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.  3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.  4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.  5 My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,  6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning.  7 For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh.  8 I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.  9 O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.  10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.  11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my nearest kin stand far off.  12 Those who seek my life lay their snares; those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long.  13 But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth.  14 I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.  15 But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it