Psalm 38:3, 8

Psalm 38:3, 8

3 There is no wholeness in my flesh because of your indignation;

there is no wellness in my bones because of my sin.

8 I am numb, and I am crushed exceedingly;

I roared because of the growling of my heart.

FIND QUIET REST IN HIM

During my recent hospitalization, people who visited me would often quip that the hospital room looked comfortable, and that I was so lucky to be able to enjoy this little “staycation”. At this point I would think to myself that I was enjoying no more than an hour of uninterrupted sleep at a time, because the drugs in my system, coupled with my fever-addled brain, often kept me in a state of grogginess, but never rest.

After I was discharged, I had a solid nine hours of sleep back in my hostel room for the first time in almost two weeks. I had to be in a familiar and (mostly) comfortable environment in order to be at rest.

Our psalmist cries in v. 3 that “there is no wholeness in my flesh; no wellness in my bones” because of the Lord’s anger aginst his sins. He roared because of the growling of his heart in v.8. While some commentators interpret the roar as the psalmist’s sin-provoked suffering, Augustine, in his commentary on the Psalms, understands this roaring as also the heart’s innermost desire and prayer to be sanctified. That is why, in what is arguably Augustine’s most famous quote, “Because you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in thee” (Confessions 1.1.1), he observes that we must be in movement towards God in order to throw off the sins that make us sick.

Rest is not an abstract concept but an assured confidence in God. Today, give yourself the gift of rest that will restore wholeness to your flesh and wellness to your bones. It is not found in a hospital or hostel bed, but it is found by resting in the familiar and comforting person of God. You can quiet the growling of your heart in the God who cares and heals.

Kjelti Koh
(M.Div., Yr 3)