Psalm 38 – O Lord, my Salvation!
By Bunni Pounds
*This blog is part of our weekly, virtual Bible Study through the book of Psalms. For information on how to participate, please visit this page.
The Psalmist is confronted in this Psalm not only by the external forces in his life, visible enemies, hardships, and pains, but what is going on inside himself – the chastening of the Lord. He is coming to the revelation that he NEEDS God to save him from himself.
He is seeing his sins and iniquities and it is a much-needed process – yet painful.
David is experiencing what all of us must go through in our steps to come to God. We must see our sin and realize that we need a Savior.
Salvation needs to be priceless to us. It has to be something that we couldn’t earn on our own. This is where the value of Jesus comes in. We need Him!
The key verse is the last one – “Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” (verse 22)
So many people in America say they are a Christian – but have they ever seen their sins? Do they really realize that they need to be saved – that they need a Savior?
I used to love watching videos of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron going on the streets and making people aware that they needed God. They would confront them with the law before they would hand them the grace of God. It made sense to me the first time I heard Ray speak at my Bible School even in the 90’s about the importance of using the law to bring people to salvation. We must know we are sinners before a Savior makes sense to us. If we think we are “good” – why do we need God?
As a pastor’s kid who in my mind had not done anything wrong – I had to be confronted with my sins as I stood in a dark concert hall listening to a song about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
I will never forget tears running down my face as I saw all my lust, pride, and helplessness without God. I knew in that moment – I needed a Savior!
How does His sacrifice mean anything to us if we don’t realize the depth of what we are being rescued from?
David saw the depth of his depravity without God in Psalm 38.
“There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” (verse 3-4)
“For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.” (verse 18)
Conviction from God is a miracle. We need to see it as a real blessing!
To see our sin and to come to God for freedom is the gift of sonship. If this has happened to us – we realize the value of it. If it hasn’t happened to us – maybe God is doing it right now – calling you to Himself.
Paul laid it out in Romans 7 that he was doing what he didn’t want to do – but he couldn’t help it because sin was ruling and reigning in his flesh.
“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” (Romans 7:15-18)
Many people get this chapter confused and think that they have to live in this state forever – but salvation is deeper than that.
Salvation is transformative. We are supposed to move forward into Romans 8 – not stay in Romans 7.
“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:12-17)
I remember the day I read Romans 6, 7, 8 and realized that I had been set free from sin. I realized that I could walk with Jesus and let His life transform me into His image – not through my own strength but through His.
Our old pastor, Jim Borchert, used to say – “Maturity in Christ is not that we get better. It is that we learn to die faster.” He meant – we have to learn to “reckon ourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God” FASTER. (Romans 6:11)
I remember the day that this truth became so real to me and set me free……
“Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:12-14)
Did you hear that – sin shall NOT have dominion over you?
David finally acknowledged that his hope was not found in his own strength or his own abilities to save himself. He came to rest in this promise – “For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God.” (verse 15)
Though the power of sin, iniquities, and worldly lusts seem to be strong – Jesus is stronger still. His salvation is enough to set us free from the power of sin and death.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
God is our salvation and He will make haste to rescue us when we call out to Him in humility and need.
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