Psalm 38:1–10 (NKJV)

1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
2 For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.

Psalm 38:1-2

• Lord, You displeasure in me is overwhelming.
• I am a sinful man, and I am sorrowful.
• Your conviction is like an arrow piercing my soul.
• I feel Your displeasure like a heavy weight upon my spirit.
• I hate that I have invoked Your wrath on my sin.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.

Psalm 38:3-5

• My guilt is creating physical manifestations.
• I cannot move. I feel sick or injured.
• My bones ache and my head is swimming with thoughts of my sins.
• I cannot even lift myself up.
• It is as if I have been beaten and cut by my foolish acts.

6 I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

Psalm 38:6-8

• My emotions run away from me. I have no joy.
• I mourn over my condition and I feel depressed.
• My body is broken down by my sin.
• I groan in my inner being and feel no peace in my heart.

9 Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

Psalm 38:9-10

• Lord, I need forgiveness. I ask for forgiveness.
• Your favor is my desire. Your love for me will heal me.
• I repent of the sinful acts of my life. I lay myself before You and ask for Your fellowship once again.
• Without You, I cannot live. I cannot even move without Your help.
• I realize the futility of sin and I renounce its purpose in my life.
• My sin cries out from the stains upon my soul.
• I curse the evil within me and pray for Your sweet forgiveness. Without it, my life will be useless.
• Forgive me, Lord, and make me clean. I need You desperately.

Artwork from https://www.txcumc.org/files/imagelibrary/psalm38.jpg