Psalm 39:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.

NIV: "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.

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

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

NLT: And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

KJV: And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

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

Seen from an eternal perspective, life is brief. Pursuing wealth and shallow bickering is a waste of what little time we have (Psalm 39:4–6). David eased his frustration by asking God to remind him of life's brevity (Psalm 39:1–4). Remembering that God is much greater than our struggles can ease angst over difficult circumstances. In this verse, David makes that connection by pointing to God as his only and ultimate hope.

The best things in life are not things—objects or money—but the occasions in which a person glorifies the Lord. David understood that quantity of years is not as important as the quality of one's life. How many moments a person has is not as important as what one does with those moments (Matthew 6:19–20). So, David weighed what pleases the Lord and the rewards which follow. He then chose to "wait on the Lord:" meaning to trust and hope in Him alone.

It's possible some of David's current struggle was the result of his own sin (Psalm 39:8–11). Therefore, he turned from his sin and looked to the Lord for restored fellowship. Surely the Lord does not want His people to engage in self-pity over their sins. He wants them to look to Him, hope in Him, confess their sins, and serve Him (Philippians 3:13–14; Hebrews 10:19–25; 12:3–13; 1 John 1:8—2:6). Romans 12:12 exhorts believers to "rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

Psalm 39:1–7 begins with David determining to remain silent so his words will not reflect poorly on God. And yet, struggling not to respond to wicked people created frustration. To ease this, David asks God for a reminder of man's limited lifespan and power. Life is incredibly short. All human effort is nothing compared to the power of God. Those who scrabble for earthly things do so pointlessly. Rather than hoping or despairing because of other people, David places his trust in the Lord. James 4:13–16 parallels David's thoughts about the brevity of life.

David chooses not to speak in the presence of certain evil people. This might have been to avoid slander, or to not speak unfairly about God. In frustration, David calls on God to adjust his perspective. He asks to be reminded of life's brevity; the Lord's infinite perspective makes our troubles seem small. David acknowledges his sin and that God has disciplined him. Even so, he places all his hope in the Lord.

This psalm is related to Psalm 38. Both focus on David's response to sin and the hardships which life brings. Rather than speaking out against wicked people, David asks God to remind him of the brevity of life. Job 7:16–17 parallels the themes found in this psalm. Likewise does Psalm 90. No specific incident is tied to this writing, but it may have been inspired by David's sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:7–9).

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.