Pray To The Lord In Your Time Of Need

Most of the Psalms uplift our spirits and draw us closer to God through their praises and worship. In today’s Psalm, David focused on how to pray to the Lord as he asked Him for His help.

Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior. Psalm 38:22

The preceding verse concluded Psalm 38. David prayed it with a sense of urgency. We will examine why he sought the Lord, which led him to pray such a prayer.

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This Psalm conveys both a sense of God’s wrath and David’s sincere desire for restoration. He openly acknowledged his sin and recognized its impact on his life and his relationship with God.

Through his upbringing and experience with the Lord, David knew that God abhorred sin. Since he had a heart like God’s, when he sinned, it brought great conviction upon him.

O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage! Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. Psalm 38:1-2

Doesn’t that remind you of a statement that Jesus made while hanging on the cross? In Matthew, it says Jesus called out with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Jesus, however, cried out because He had taken on the sins of the world. David, on the other hand, cried out because he committed sins. He felt like God had turned his back on him.

Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins. My guilt overwhelms me—it is a burden too heavy to bear. Psalm 38:3-4

How Sin Effects Us

We can’t successfully remove the conviction caused by the burden of our sins. In our attempts, we’ll often make things worse by affecting not only our spirit but also our physical being.

David described the physical and emotional pain caused by his sin. He felt as if God’s hand weighed heavy upon him. Only God can lift that burden created by our sins. David continued.

My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins. I am bent over and racked with pain. All day long I walk around filled with grief. Psalm 38:5-6

Have you ever stepped in fresh cow manure or something similar? Oh, does that stink! Until you’ve changed or gotten it cleaned off, it makes you very self-conscious.

Sin also carries with it an odor, but not in a physical sense. We react, though, in a much similar way because we think everyone knows what we had done.

Unforgiven sin can also cause us to isolate ourselves from others, especially those closest to us. When that happens, we don’t see ourselves in isolation; instead, we feel abandoned by them.

David expressed a sense of rejection by his friends and relatives. What do you do when feelings of isolation and abandonment overtake you? Do you stop and pray to the Lord?

David didn’t stop seeking the Lord as he continued to pray. He told God all of his inner feelings. Sometimes, our confession to the Lord when we pray serves as a good therapy session.

Halfway through this prayer of the Psalmist’s woes, feelings, and treatment of others, we see a change. He shifted his focus from the negative happenings in his life and said the following.

For I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

Pray to the Lord No Matter What

In his weakened state, on the verge of collapse, while facing constant pain, David prayed. He asked for forgiveness and restoration to his former health and relationship with God.

Anytime we pray and ask the Lord for restoration and forgiveness, we must begin at square one. David knew that. Therefore, he wiped the slate clean by confessing and repenting of his sins.

But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done. Psalm 38:18

We must also constantly live a life of forgiveness and repentance. Am I saying we have to keep getting saved? No! However, we must remove anything that hinders our relationship with God.

Our only hope rests in the Lord. Despite David’s suffering and the weight of his sin, he clung to the hope of God’s mercy. He still had his enemies and troubles, but he stood on God’s promises.

I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason. They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good. Do not abandon me, O Lord. Do not stand at a distance, my God. Psalm 38:19-21

What should we do when we have burdens weighing on our hearts? Don’t we usually try to unburden ourselves before we do anything else? Instead, pray to the Lord and give them to Him.

God Welcomes Us All the Time

In a later Psalm, we learn from David that God welcomes us along with our troubles, fears, and sins. He wants us to lay all of our burdens on Him. God is full of compassion and mercy.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:8-12

Do you know how far the east is from the west? I don’t either because the two never meet. Remember, don’t wallow in your sins. Lay them on the Lord when you pray to Him.

Lord, we pray the same way David concluded his prayer in this Psalm. “Come quickly to help me, O Lord, my savior.”

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