A Road Map for Life | Beginning With GodSample

REMEMBER THIS (Psalm 38)

Memory is a beautiful gift that God has given all of us to exercise — and yet, every blessing can also be a curse.

Isn’t it amazing that we have a tendency to forget what we should remember, and remember what we should forget?

We have come to Psalm 38, which is known as a psalm of remembrance. In fact, the inscription at the beginning of it reads, “a psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.”

But as we read it, we see that what he was remembering was pain, grief, and guilt that sin had brought into his life. We don’t know exactly when he wrote it, but there is a lot of emotion here.

Verses 1-12: “O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.”

Not exactly words of encouragement. You cannot read this without thinking that these are the words of a broken man. That is what sin does.

We have seen in other psalms how David described other enemies, men who were coming against him. But in Psalm 38 his greatest enemy was his own sin. Then he lamented that even his friends had turned against him at times.

The worst thing that happens when you sin against God is that you make Him your enemy because you have taken a position in opposition to Him. When God has to deal with you and you are fighting against Him, that is a terrible position to be in; it is a battle you will not win.

Psalm 38 is known as one of the penitential psalms of David. It is a psalm of repentance and also a psalm of remembrance. That is very interesting to me because I get the idea that whenever we repent of sin and are restored, we must never forget how bad sin is and how good God has been. If we forget those things, the tendency is to go right back to that sin.

Only remembrance will keep you close to God and away from sin. Repentance is not an event; it is intended to be a way of life. We must remember how truly sinful we are and how utterly merciful God has been.

Verses 13-22: “But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs. For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God. For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me. For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is. Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.”

Notice the change in tone that begins in verse 15, and how differently the psalm ends when compared to the beginning. It is a heart-level conversation throughout, beginning and ending with “O Lord.” But the first time it is the groan of sin and the last time it is the groan of faith — casting oneself upon the Lord who is merciful. As Paul wrote in Romans 5:20, “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

Are you consumed today with your past? According to Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Is the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10) throwing it in your face? Are you stuck on some memory from the past?

I like what Charles Spurgeon said: “Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to despair. Great thoughts of Jesus will pilot you into the haven of peace.”

If you would like your ship to pull into the haven of peace today, then stop thinking of your sin alone. We must never forget our sin and that we are sinners who are prone to wander, but we must also never forget how merciful and gracious our God is.

If you stop with your sin, you will live in despair. Consider three simple thoughts from Psalm 38 based on a few key words.

1. Sin is heavy (verse 4). It is a burden you were never meant to bear. We must bring our sin to the Lord Jesus, remembering that He carried it in His own body on the cross. Look to the Lord and drop that heavy burden.

2. People are hurtful (verse 12). Sometimes people hurt you intentionally, and at other times it is unintentional and used by the devil to drive a wedge between you.

3. The Lord is our hope (verse 15). God hears us when we pray. He hears your confession and the cry of your heart, but He doesn’t stop there. He also answers your prayer.

Notice how David called himself “a deaf man” and “a dumb man” in verse 13. But in subsequent verses he acknowledged that God heard him. There have been times when I closed my ears to God, or the noise was so loud that I could not hear clearly. But when you cannot hear God, and all you hear is the memory of your old sin or the accusations of others around you, there is a God who hears you.

Cry out to Him today. Trust in Him today. You will find in the Lord all you need — hope for today and for your future. If you remember anything, remember God. He alone is our hope.