He, due to the heavy burden on his heart (v. 4), not only lost peace in his heart (v. 3), but his heart became so anxious that he even groaned (v. 8). As a result, he experienced not only physical wounds but also emotional wounds (v. 5) and was forced to walk in sorrow (v. 6). How painful is the result of sin? We Christians, after committing sin, feel unrest in our souls because of that sin. Unbelievers do not experience this spiritual unrest. Since they do not consider sin as sin, they cannot feel pain in their hearts because of it. However, as believers, we feel pain because of our sin, which leads to exhaustion and emotional distress. Eventually, our hearts become anxious, and we groan.

The phrase "my heart is uneasy" in Psalm 38:8, when compared with Psalm 6:3, can also be understood as "my soul is deeply troubled." This is the result of experiencing prolonged suffering due to God's discipline. It represents the mental state that arises when we reach the limits of human patience, asking ourselves, "How long must I suffer like this?" In this anxious state of mind, we cannot help but groan or sigh.

In the midst of this, the emotional suffering that David experienced was, above all, loneliness or isolation. Look at Psalm 38:11: "My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my affliction, and my relatives stand far off." Physical pain, wounds, sorrow, and emotional distress are all extremely painful and difficult to bear. But when, because of our sin, even people begin to turn away from us and distance themselves, we feel deep loneliness. Somehow, I think of Job. His physical suffering must have been unimaginably painful, but on top of that, his wife told him, "Are you still holding fast to your integrity? Curse God and die" (Job 2:9). I wonder how lonely Job must have felt. Even his wife, the closest person to him, couldn't understand him and spoke foolish words... He had no choice but to feel alone.

This is how terrible sin is. It isolates a person completely. The strength we rely on in our own bodies, as well as the friends and family we depend on, may even be cut off by God. God disciplines us because He loves us, and sometimes He may even remove those very friends and relatives whom we rely on.

(3) That suffering is the suffering of the soul.

Look at verse 12 of today's passage, Psalm 38: "Those who seek my life lay snares for me, and those who wish to harm me speak wicked things and plot deceit all day long." This describes the actions of David's enemies. David's enemies set traps, spoke wicked words, and plotted against him in an attempt to harm him. In other words, not only did David's enemies conspire to harm him, but they also tried to deceive him in any way possible to destroy him. Isn't that interesting? When David sinned, even his loved ones, friends, and relatives turned away from him, yet in the midst of all this, his enemies came closer and sought to take his life. This is undoubtedly a spiritual battle. Our enemy, Satan, not only works to make us sin but also relentlessly attacks us after we sin to keep us from repenting, aiming to eventually lead us to betray the Lord, fall away from the faith, and be eternally lost.

In the midst of all this, the greatest pain David felt was the sense of being "forsaken by God" and that God had "distanced Himself" from him. Look at verse 21 of today's passage: "O Lord, do not forsake me; O my God, do not be far from me." David feared that because of his sin, God might distance Himself or forsake him. Of course, this was only David's perception, not the truth. God never left David, nor did He forsake or distance Himself from him. In fact, God came closer to David and pressed him severely with His hand and pierced him with His own flesh (verse 2). God was near David, desiring for him to confess his sin and repent. In short, God wanted to deliver (save) David from his sin.

Secondly, what should we do when we suffer? Psalm 38 teaches us three important lessons about this:

(1) We must look to our Savior, the Lord, in silence.

Look at verse 15 of today’s passage, Psalm 38: “O Lord, I have hoped in You; my Lord God will answer me.” When those who sought David’s life set traps for him and spoke evil to harm him, plotting against him all day, David became like a deaf man and a mute (verses 12-13). In other words, while his enemies conspired to harm him, using tricks to destroy him, David did not open his mouth to defend himself or try to protect himself (verse 14). Rather, he stopped his ears and his mouth, and in silence, he looked only to the Lord. Like David, we should, at times, be like the deaf man and not listen to words that should not be heard. When his enemies spoke "evil things" (verse 12)—that is, when they spoke of things to destroy David (as 박윤선 explains)—David did not listen to those words like a deaf man. How can we live while constantly hearing the words of those who hate and oppose us? There are times when we need to block our ears. Especially, we need to block the voices of the world and listen to the voice of the Lord. We also need to, like David, be mute and keep our mouths shut when necessary. In other words, we need to learn to be silent when it is required. Like David, we should close our ears like a deaf man and keep our mouths shut like a mute, seeking the Lord quietly in silence and making our petitions before Him. When we come to the Lord in petition, we should approach with the same certainty of an answer that David had. Look again at verse 15. David says, “My Lord God will answer me.” Literally, this means: “You, yes, You will answer me. My Lord, my God” (as 박윤선 translates). Just as David prayed with the assurance that God would answer, we must look to God in silence with the same conviction that He will answer our prayers.

(2) We must open our mouths and confess our sins to the Lord.

Look at verse 18 of today’s passage, Psalm 38: “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.” This is truly interesting. It is amazing how David confesses his own sins. He surely saw the wickedness of his enemies, but instead of focusing on their wickedness, he focused on his own sins and confessed them before God. This attitude of David makes us reflect again on our own stance in faith. In other words, when we are facing persecution, hardship, pain, and suffering from our enemies, it is unnecessary to listen to gossip, slander, or accusations that others might make. There is no need to be stressed or hurt by them, nor do we need to open our mouths to make excuses. What we must do is remain silent, looking to the Lord, and in the presence of God’s holiness, we should recognize our own sins and confess them to Him. Instead of using the opposition and persecution from our enemies as an opportunity to complain or grumble, David used it as an opportunity to examine himself before God and confess his sins. David teaches us to become like the deaf and the mute, coming before God, pouring out our hearts, and using that moment to pour out our sins as well.