Sermon on Psalm 38
The Cry of a Broken Heart
A Sermon on Psalm 38
There are times in life when a person smiles on the outside but is breaking on the inside.
There are nights when sleep will not come, because the heart is heavy and the conscience is troubled.
That is where we find King David in Psalm 38.
This is not the shout of a victorious king.
This is the cry of a wounded man.
David felt weak.
He felt sorrowful.
He felt alone.
But above all, he felt the weight of sin upon his soul.
He cried:
“O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath.”
David understood something many people today try to avoid — sin has consequences.
The world tells people to excuse sin, defend sin, rename sin, and celebrate sin.
But David confessed it.
He did not blame others.
He did not hide behind excuses.
He fell before God and said in effect:
“Lord, I have failed.”
There is something powerful about true repentance.
God can work with a broken heart, but He cannot work with a proud heart.
Sometimes the greatest prison is not made of iron bars — it is guilt within the soul.
David described his sorrow like wounds that stink and ache.
His strength was gone.
His peace was gone.
Even friends stood far off from him.
Sin isolates.
Pain isolates.
Suffering can make a person feel abandoned.
Yet even in all his grief, David did not run away from God — he ran toward Him.
That is the difference.
Many people fail and then hide from the Lord.
David failed, but he cried unto the Lord.
The enemy whispers:
“God is finished with you.”
But Psalm 38 shows us that mercy still calls to the broken.
David said:
“Lord, all my desire is before thee.”
In other words:
“Lord, You see my tears.
You know my pain.
You understand my heart.”
People may misunderstand us, but God sees deeper than man sees.
And at the end of the Psalm, David cries:
“Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.”
Notice those words:
“My salvation.”
Even in sorrow, David still believed God could save him.
That is hope.
The devil says:
“You have fallen too far.”
But grace says:
“There is forgiveness with God.”
Psalm 38 teaches us that repentance is not weakness — it is the doorway back to mercy.
When the heart is heavy…
When guilt is painful…
When tears fall in secret…
There is still a God in Heaven who hears the cry of the repentant soul.
So do not run from God today.
Run to Him.
For the Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and rich in mercy to all who call upon Him.
Amen.
GOD IS A GOOD GOD
GOD KNOWS GOD LOVES GOD CARES
WRITTEN FOR GEORGES WEB MINISTRIES
14th May 2026