Psalm 39: Prayer as Desperate Dialog

​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:
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!
7 “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
 
12 “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!”
 
 
Meditation
God is big enough for our boldest prayers of desperation and He provides lyrics for our anguish. Our Father welcomes our most difficult emotions, challenging questions, biggest fears, and full frustrations. God desires His people engage Him in prayer with a full heart and full range of emotions. 
 
Desperate prayers develop self-awareness and honest self- evaluation, noticing when our hearts become “hot within” (1-3). Divine dialog in desperation fosters healthy situational awareness, a better perspective on life and history (4-6), as they increase dependency and felt need for deliverance (7-11).  
 
The depth of desperation is portrayed in verse 12- Hold not your peace at my tears!  This language is invitation for believers to cry out to our King with this level of intensity! When we do, we will be in good company: Job (Job 7:16-17), Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 20:18), and Jesus (Luke 19:41-44) all cried out to our Father with intense prayers of desperation.
 
Often we do not participate in a Divine dialog of desperation because we either do not trust God or we are afraid to be vulnerable with God. Remember, oh you saints, The Lord saves those crushed in spirit and is near the broken hearted (Psalm 34:18)!
 
We can know our Father hears our desperate cries because He turned His face away from Jesus when He cried out in desperation on the cross. Jesus was rejected to ensure our acceptance! Believers are secure so we can cry out in desperate prayer and experience development in self-awareness, situational awareness, and an increase of Divine dependency. 
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the depth of desperation and development that is drawn from the psalmist’s prayer?
 
-Where do you need to cry out in desperate prayer? What is holding you back?
 
-How does the rejection of Jesus in your place on the cross give you assurance of acceptance from whim to cry out in desperation to your Father who loves you? Go for it!
 
Key Verse
12 “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.