O LORD, HEAR ME WHINE.
- Key Verse
- "I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer O Lord my God." (Psalm 38:15)
READ THE CHAPTER
Central Truth
Even in times of deep despair, when we feel attacked, depressed, abandoned and alone, we can still find our hope and salvation in God through prayer and repentance. We should never imagine that our problems are bigger than our God or that God has left us to our own devices.
Reflections
When my daughter was little, one of our favorite books was Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In the book, Alexander outlines in great detail, page after page, why his life is so horrible. He suffers significant traumas, like having to eat lima beans for dinner, and wear his railroad train pajamas to bed. In our family, we have adopted this description for seemingly difficult days in our lives - it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.As I read Psalm 38, I had the same thought; King David was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. He knew God was angry with him. He was falling apart physically. He was guilt-ridden. He had no friends -- even his supposed friends had turned away. His enemies were gloating over his demise. And David seems to know that he brought all of this on himself.
Then, in the middle of his wailing and whining, a bright thought occurs to him. "I wait for you, O Lord; you will answer, O Lord my God."
Despite the fact that David was obviously feeling distressed and distraught, through the darkness and misery comes a ray of hope - a confidence that no matter how bad things appear, no matter how alone he feels, if he waits, God will answer him. Even though his sin was great and his shame was greater, God would ultimately save him.
I couldn't help but notice how the problems laid out in Psalm 38 seem to parallel the story of Job. Like David, Job never gave up on God; he never doubted God's faithfulness and love. His world might be falling down around him, but God would not forsake him. This assurance and confidence in the ultimate goodness of God's plan gave Job and David the strength to carry on.
All too often, I pray like David did - primarily telling God about my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I think I should whine less and trust more.
Discussion Questions
1. Can you think of a time when you felt as distraught and overwhelmed as David did? How did you pray through that difficult time?2. How much of your prayer time is spent praising God for who He is and how much time is spent enumerating your needs or concerns? Are you feeling any conviction to make a change?
3. True confidence in God's loving kindness is more than pasting on a smile and saying, "God will provide." What can you do to tighten your grasp on the truth of God's ever presence, constancy, and love for you?
4. How can you share that confidence with others?
Comments
The views expressed under “Comments” are solely
those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Hill Country Bible Church NW.
Annette Boorman
February 23, 2010 05:57 AM
Thank you, Cindy, for hitting the core dead on, as always: "Whine less...trust more!" Thinking I hear a t-shirt coming on! Definitely something concrete to do today. I love Question 3 and the concept of "tightening my grasp on the truth of God". Perhaps if I'm whining less, I'll have more margin to do that! :)
Chip Smith
February 23, 2010 06:40 AM
Good morning Cindy: I still remember with joy working with you on a couple of our Good Friday dramas. You are a true professional. As I read Psalm 38, I am struck by the effects that sin has on our lives. How it not only erodes our relationships, especially with God, but also effects our health. Oh the cost of that short lived sinful pleasure. How stupid can I be to embrace it again and again. Yet, I come here every weekday morning so that I can keep God's word before me and draw strength from each testimony in order to resist temptation and avoid sins consequences. To answer question number 3, it is joining this journey each weekday. Thanks for a great log.
Rich Heller
February 23, 2010 06:53 AM
Thanks Cindy
Julie Medford
February 23, 2010 07:50 AM
You hit the nail on the head. I am such a whiner even if it is just in my head. When I whine I often miss opportunities to glorify God and be used by Him because it is all about me intead of Him. Thanks for the encouragement.
Diana
February 23, 2010 08:08 AM
Cindy, What a poignant and practical exhortation. Thank you for sharing.
Randy Allen
February 23, 2010 08:54 AM
Cindy, thanks so much-- needed it today. Tell David Hi for me.
Betsy Doolittle
February 23, 2010 09:33 AM
Cindy- As I read through this Psalm, I could feel every line as if it were me. In the past, I have had several episodes of depression that lasted for months. Every bone ached, and my mouth and ears were silent. As I wrote about it in my journal today, I thought: what was my sin that I should have confessed? I couldn't think of much, except that I thought I was worthless and shutting out my family. God showed me today that I was sinning against Him--by not believing and trusting in what Jesus had done for me on the cross! I was constantly focused on the deception and trap that Satan laid for me, and not on who God is. It is still a battle for me, and yet I find everywhere in life(especially in the psalms) that God is willing to take me as I am and use me (too!). Thank you for using Alexander to remind us that God is so TRUSTWORTHY with our problems!
Bob A King
February 23, 2010 09:51 AM
Cindy, That was SO GOOD! Thank you. I would love to get down to see the dramas you help with. God bless you for your thoughtful comments on God and His Word. I'll try to have a better attitude today... SNOW and all!
Tom Jeannett
February 23, 2010 09:58 AM
What a great, powerful, and yet, simple reminder - whine less and trust more. Thanks Cindy! ...and I agree with Annette....wouldn't it be cool to see everyone in our church wearing t-shirts that said "Whine less;Trust More"?
Barbara
February 23, 2010 10:18 AM
"Whine less, trust more". LOVE IT! That will be added to the many catch phrases I use with my family! Thanks Cindy. Great devotion!
Debbie Stein
February 23, 2010 11:29 AM
Hey Cindy. Thanks for the devotion today. I really do want to whine less and trust more. Feel free to tell me if I'm whining, k?
Juan Maldonado
February 23, 2010 01:14 PM
Thanks for the reminder Cindy. God is an awesome God and He's not the one that turns His back when things get hard. We're the ones that fail. I have learned recently to put all my trust in God and praise Him in good times and especially in bad times.
Terry Melle
February 23, 2010 03:54 PM
What a leadership example - David recognizing not only that his sin and his folly are the cause of his anguish; but that only God can rescue him. He can't fix himself, and his troubles don't just go away. I need this reminder frequently.
Mary Ann Gay
February 23, 2010 05:43 PM
Thanks for the reminder that nothing we have to whine about is bigger than our God! Needed to have read this, this morning instead of late afternoon! Thanks for all you do in children's drama. I take 4 little girls to church on Sunday who so look forward to how God blesses your efforts.
Carolanne
February 23, 2010 06:50 PM
Cindy, I LOVED your analogy and think that you should "act" this out with your drama team! Perhaps we'd get less whining from that age group......
Linda Jean Butler
February 25, 2010 06:19 PM
That was our favorite book, too! Thanks for the great reminder. I think I'll go make a phone call to Australia now...
CJ
June 6, 2010 11:30 AM
Yes, True confidence is more than a smile. It is easy to put a smile to the outside world. We tend to put a drama to the outside world and also get fooled by the drama of other people. I found dwelling deeper in his word and remembering his word during the day has increased my confidence a little bit. Not totally there yet.