Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
How long will we continue striving on our own? On our own we do not do the good that we know we should do. On our own we do all sorts of things that we wish we wouldn't. We want to be better. We take delight in the law of God in the sense that we appreciate it and know the value of it. But we just can't put it into practice.
How long will we wait? The time is now.
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Our cleverness isn't helpful. Being wise to the underlying patterns of the world isn't helpful. These patterns may be physical. We may be really proud of recognizing, say, human caused global warming. This can be helpful only if it doesn't distract us from the deeper issues in our souls that cause the excesses in the world that are ultimately what cause our part in the problem. It isn't even helpful to understand the patterns and signs of society and culture. To recognize trends of sinfulness in the world gains us nothing. To be able to say that things are getting worse, that people are more willing to accept and indulge sin does nothing to fix any problem. The only way we can contribute to healing the culture is if we are first healed ourselves.
So let's stop trying to figure these secondary things out and instead face the issue directly. We ourselves, apart from grace, are miserable. Not only can we not help global warming or the cable TV lineup but we can't even help ourselves.
We must pray that the kindness of the LORD may come to comfort us. Let us pray for his compassion to come and meet us that we may live. Only then is his law our delight. Without his comfort and compassion we experience the law as condemnation and sin. But if we just turn to him for his grace and help we can experience his law as life.
Never will I forget your precepts,
for through them you give me life.
Who will deliver us from ourselves, from all of this failed effort and frustration?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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