Psalm 39:3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue.
Muse vs. Amusement
We are a society consumed with being entertained; we want to be amused. As you know, amusement is the opposite of musing. Musing, of course, means to roll something around in your mind, to be thoughtful about something, or to think before you act. Many people are so sad with their existence that they would rather not think about it at all, so they seek to amuse themselves.
Yet, those who are constantly seeking amusement will never think their way clear in the things that matter most. In Psalm 39 David said, “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I may sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.” David said, “I am going to think before I speak. I am going to pay attention to my ways so I don’t sin.”
Then in verse 3 he says, “My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue, LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.”
If we are constantly cutting ourselves off from thinking about things that matter, we are never going to do what is most significant. David was a man who had to take the time to stop, be quiet, pay attention, and consider how frail and brief life is.
It is amazing how much passion, fury, and fire people expend to get rich or to become famous. Even in ministry, people are so consumed with having a name, preaching in big venues, or being someone important. It is not wrong to excel or exceed, but if our whole life is wrapped up in making a name for self, then we are disquieting ourselves for nothing. We are expending energy, passion, and time for things that really don’t matter.
Our passions and energies ought to be put in the direction that is arrived at by thoughtful deliberation. Otherwise, we are just disquieting ourselves in vain. A life well lived is a life of action that proceeds from clear thinking.