Early morning mist thinning and lifting off the terraces of a narrow Judean valley, a few olive trees coming clear under an empty pale sky.

Lament · David

Psalm 39

How long do you have? David held his tongue until he couldn’t, and then he asked God that.

13 verses≈ 3 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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Where we are

1–41Book IDavid's prayers: 'The LORD is my shepherd'Psalm 39
42–72Book II'As the deer pants'; the throne under pressure
73–89Book IIIAsaph and Korah: the kingdom falls
90–106Book IVBack to Moses: the LORD reigns
107–150Book VSongs of ascents, and the last Hallelujah

I Will Watch My Ways

For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

I said, “I will watch my ways

so that I will not sin with my tongue;

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle

as long as the wicked are present.”

I was speechless and still;

I remained silent, even from speaking good,

and my sorrow was stirred.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Close on a clay hearth in a dark room: gray ash lying on top, red embers showing through a crack in it.

My heart grew hot within me;

as I mused, the fire burned.

Reflect

What are you heaping up?

If your days are “handbreadths,” what are you heaping up, and who will haul it away? Write down one thing you spend your days on that will outlast you, and one that won’t.

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?

My hope is in You.

Psalm 39:7

My hope is in You.

Deliver me from all my transgressions;

do not make me the reproach of fools.

I have become mute;

I do not open my mouth

because of what You have done.

Remove Your scourge from me;

I am perishing by the force of Your hand.

You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity,

consuming like a moth what he holds dear;

surely each man is but a vapor.

Selah

Evening beside a dusty road: a small dark tent, a tethered donkey, a small fire, and far off a hill village with its few lights, under pale dusk sky.

Hear my prayer, O LORD,

and give ear to my cry for help;

do not be deaf to my weeping.

For I am a foreigner dwelling with You,

a stranger like all my fathers.

Turn Your gaze away from me,

that I may again be cheered

before I depart and am no more.”

0:17

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Pray

The length of your days

Ask Him to teach you the length of your days. This psalm ends in “weeping,” with nothing tidied up. He hears that too, so don’t tidy yours.

You’ve experienced

Psalm 39

0 of 150 psalms read

A verse to carry with you

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.

Psalm 39:7

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