Psalms

Psalms 39: Hope for our passing days

Begin in prayer

Before we plan what we hope to gain in life, let us remember the Lord who measures our days. Ask Him to turn us to Jesus and teach us to bring our frailty and tears before Him.

but truly as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.

1 Samuel 20:3

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word, and help us to see Christ. Show us that our days are brief and our possessions uncertain, so the Lord Himself must be our hope. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

David resolves to guard his tongue before the wicked, yet his silence leaves sorrow burning within him. When he speaks, he asks the LORD to show him the measure of his days and his frailty. Life is a breath and a passing shadow, while people gather wealth without knowing who will receive it. David places his hope in the Lord and asks deliverance from transgression and relief from God's correcting hand. Knowing that God consumes wealth like a moth, he pleads as a passing stranger for his prayer and tears to be heard. He ends with a plea for strength before leaving this life, still bringing his need before the God of his hope.

As you read Psalms 39, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD measures our brief lives, corrects iniquity, and receives the prayers of those who hope in Him.

Guarding the tongue is David's aim, yet holding back even good speech leaves his grief stirred and his heart burning. His words finally go to the LORD, asking to understand life's end and how frail he is. A hand width is a small measure, explaining the picture of days that are brief before the eternal God. The shadow and breath expose the uncertainty of gathering wealth whose next owner remains unknown. David's hope rests in the Lord, so he asks for deliverance from sin before asking relief from the blow of God's hand. Correction for iniquity consumes wealth like a moth, showing how little control a person has over what he treasures. Calling himself a stranger with God names the temporary life he shares with his fathers, dependent on a place God provides. His final request seeks relief and recovered strength before death, and his tears remain prayer while he waits.

How does Psalm 39 show us that the LORD measures our brief lives, corrects iniquity, and receives the prayers of those who hope in Him?

The LORD shows how brief our earthly lives are.

David's guarded silence gives way to prayer about the measure of his days. Hand widths, breath and shadow describe the frailty he asks to understand. Accumulated wealth cannot give him control of who will gather it after him.

The LORD receives the hope and tears of His servant.

David names the Lord as his hope and asks rescue from all his transgressions. Submission to God's hand still leaves room to ask for relief. He prays as a passing stranger who needs God to hear his tears and spare him.

Memorise

Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.

Psalm 39:7

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, what am I gathering as though life could last without Jesus?

David confesses, “My hope is in you.” His brief days and uncertain wealth leave him dependent on the Lord. Even his tears become part of the prayer he brings before God.

Our short lives also carry guilt that possessions cannot remove. Jesus died in His people's place and bore the punishment their sins deserved. God raised Him from the dead. The guilt of His people is answered completely through that once for all offering, securing forgiveness and eternal life with Him.

Turn from sin and trust Jesus. Jesus promises forgiveness to guilty people who seek their lasting hope in Him. Bring Him the possessions you cling to and the fear you feel about your passing days. Jesus receives the tears of those trusting Him, giving them hope that lasts beyond every earthly possession.

Parent's note

Tell your children that our days are brief and our possessions uncertain, so the Lord Himself must be our hope. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that our brief lives may be brought before Him in hope. Bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”

John 8:51

Lord, our days are in Your hands and our possessions cannot keep us alive. Please lead us to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life. Hear the tears of those who are weary. Teach us to guard our tongues, receive Your correction and use our passing days with hope in You. Amen.