At its heart, sin is an offence against God. But it is also an assault on self. When we defy God’s good order we inflict damage on our souls that is not easily fixed.

Psalm 38 depicts the ruinous state a man finds himself in because of sin. His spiritual folly is bearing out in physical ways. The weight of God’s disapproval, and the oppression of his guilt, crushes him. He is not dead, but he is lifeless.

He is also helpless. Things that he may have been able to rely on previously have abandoned him. Strength. Stamina. Neighbours. Allies. Moreover, his enemies now have a foothold. Sin has exposed him, and his life is laid bare.

He has but one hope: the Lord who comes near to rescue broken souls. In his ruin, he throws his lifelessness into the hands of the living God.

He waits, knowing the Lord will come to his aid. It’s not a vain hope. It’s a faith in God’s faithfulness, and an assurance in God’s sureness. We don’t know his particular sin. But we know any sin involves taking matters into your own hands. In repentance, the man reorients himself rightly, placing himself back into the hands of his creator, where he knows he will be reformed and restored.

Here we see why faith (and not works) is the only appropriate prescription for sin. Any other mechanism relies too much on taking matters into our own hands (the essence of sin!) and not enough on putting them into God’s.

In all things, let us wait patiently for the Lord who hears our cries for mercy.