Psalm 39 is a continuation of Psalm 38. However, it seems that God's discipline in David's life is almost over. David wrote, "I said to myself, 'I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.' But as I stood there in silence—not even speaking of good things—the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words (Psalm 39:1-3):" David decided that he would not sin against God with his tongue. He would not say any bad words even though his enemies were attacking him. In order for David to do this, he would need a lot of self-control. When anyone wrongs us, it is easy for us to retaliate with bad words rather than controlling our composure and staying calm and praying for the situation. An outburst of anger or rage can easily come out of us, but David understands that the godly way to handle this type of situation is to have self-control, which is harder to do. David understands the pressure that is building up in him. His flesh wanted to retaliate like fire words igniting within him, but he decided not to sin with his tongue and trust God's protection.
When we try to do good, we find ourselves being tempted to do bad things. When we try to be patient, we get irritated more, and the reason that this is happening to us is that our sinful flesh is waging war against our spirit. Satan is trying to tempt our sinful flesh to lead us to sin, but we can overcome it by God's power that works within us. We have the power to say no to sin, but it is not easy. When we are losing our patients or any sin that we are struggling with, we need to reach out to our Lord Jesus to help us do what is right. We need to ask God for strength to overcome the sin that we are struggling with. So, when we are confronted with a situation that may lead us to sin with our tongue before we say anything, let us stay calm and pray in our hearts and minds for God to give us the strength to have self-control and say words that are appropriate and not sin.
God wants us to be the light of the world, shining His righteousness in this sinful world. God understands the pressure that builds within us when we are wronged, but we need to respond according to God's way. We need to pray about our situation and the people that offend us. We need to pray for a change of heart, not only for the people who offend us but also for our hearts to change. We are now different to those who are not saved. We need to shine God's way so that those who do not know Him will find hope in Him.
Ask yourself these questions for application: (Think through carefully and meditate on the questions while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you). Why is it difficult for me to do good? What should I do when I am tempted to say something sinful? What do I need to do when I am irritated or not being patient?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, please help me to be patient and have self-control with my tongue. When I am wronged or treated unfairly, would you please help me to respond in a way that is pleasing to you. Please give me words on what to say and help me to do what is right before you. When I wrong a person, please help me to be quick to ask for forgiveness to make things right. In your name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.