July 12, 2019 
The word Sabbath means to cease.  So as Dr. Brooks is away on sabbatical, we will be using his original devotionals from 2009 on the book of Psalms.  He will resume The Bible Project devotionals upon his return.  Thank you for reading with us and praying for him as he replenishes his soul for the next seven years of ministry.
Psalm 37
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Your arrows have pierced me,
    and your hand has come down on me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
    there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
    like a burden too heavy to bear.
5 My wounds fester and are loathsome
    because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
    all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain;
    there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
    I groan in anguish of heart.
9 All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
    even the light has gone from my eyes.
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
    my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those who want to kill me set their traps,
    those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
    all day long they scheme and lie.
13 I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
    like the mute, who cannot speak;
14 I have become like one who does not hear,
    whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 Lord, I wait for you;
    you will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat
    or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”
17 For I am about to fall,
    and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
    I am troubled by my sin.
19 Many have become my enemies without cause;
    those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil
    lodge accusations against me,
    though I seek only to do what is good.
21 Lord, do not forsake me;
    do not be far from me, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
    my Lord and my Savior.

New International Version (NIV)
In a national writing contest on the subject “What is wrong with the world?”, British writer G. K. Chesterton answered succinctly, “I am.”  With the same kind of humility, David faces the consequences of the choices he has made.  In his case, some sin has resulted in a judgment of illness.  We hear him in verses 3-4 “My bones have no soundness because of my sin.  My guilt has overwhelmed me, like a burden too heavy to bear."  To complicate matters, his particular illness is so abhorrent that his friends have forsaken him (verse 11).  Overcoming illness is difficult.  Even harder is facing illness alone.  Most troubling of all is facing ridicule from friends who blame David for his illness.

What can we say about the connection of sin and suffering?  Certainly, at times our illness may stem from sinful choices we have made.  At other times, the sinful choices of others may lead to our suffering.  Think of a child born with a transmissible illness because of parents’ choices.  At other times, there is no connection at all between some particular sin and our suffering.  Sickness some times comes as part and parcel of living in a fallen world.  Since none of us has perfect insight, we do well not to apportion the cause of a particular illness or problem to a particular sin that one has committed.  In John 9, Jesus’ disciples assumed the man born blind suffered because of some parental sin or prenatal sin he had committed.  Jesus corrects his disciples by saying that neither reason is the cause of the man’s blindness.  But he invites them to join him in the work. 

We may not know about the sins of others, but we all know about our own sins.  David shows us the way to respond to our own sin and the judgment it brings.  First, he acknowledges his dependence on God, “All my longings lie open before you O Lord.”  David chooses transparency over deceit and concealment.  Then David confesses that he waits for the Lord.  At times this is all we can do.  Next, he turns from his sin and confesses it in verse 18.  Finally he cries out for help, “Do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.  Come quickly to help me O Lord my Savior.”  No matter what we’ve done, no matter where we’ve been, as long as we are alive, we can turn to the Lord in repentance and find his forgiveness.  Will we?  How about now?  Our Savior is only a prayer away.

This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan.  Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download 
the app at readscripture.org.  Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully, 
Duane 

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