Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me.
Psalm 38 belongs with six others — Psalms 6, 25, 32, 35, 51, and 130 — as one of the seven Penitential Psalms, with Psalm 51 standing as the recognized example of the class. Its cry not to be forsaken belongs to that penitent prayer to God. The verse is personal prayer and supplication in which the speaker asks God not to abandon him or remain distant.
The plea expresses a sense of great need and despair suited to human experiences of discouragement, trial, and grief. The plea is paired with the request in verse 22 for God to hurry to help and save, and the answering promises show God as near to the brokenhearted, present through trouble, and able to comfort and sustain those in pain. The verse also gives a prophetic picture of Christ's inner experience during his struggles with the enemy, revealing how he felt when passing through severe temptation and suffering as he asks God not to forsake him or stay far away.
The verse provides words for human need that point to God as willing and able to save, whom the speaker trusts to save and who stays near to help. It is a child's appeal for God's friendship and help, joined with a desire for a pure heart.
Psalm 38 belongs with six others — Psalms 6, 25, 32, 35, 51, and 130 — as one of the seven Penitential Psalms, with Psalm 51 standing as the recognized example of the class. Its cry not to be forsaken belongs to that penitent prayer to God. The verse is personal prayer and supplication in which the speaker asks God not to abandon him or remain distant.
The plea expresses a sense of great need and despair suited to human experiences of discouragement, trial, and grief. The plea is paired with the request in verse 22 for God to hurry to help and save, and the answering promises show God as near to the brokenhearted, present through trouble, and able to comfort and sustain those in pain. The verse also gives a prophetic picture of Christ's inner experience during his struggles with the enemy, revealing how he felt when passing through severe temptation and suffering as he asks God not to forsake him or stay far away.
The verse provides words for human need that point to God as willing and able to save, whom the speaker trusts to save and who stays near to help. It is a child's appeal for God's friendship and help, joined with a desire for a pure heart.