God Speaks
40 For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.
4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.
6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
7 Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”
9 I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For troubles surround me—
too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost all courage.
13 Please, Lord, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
14 May those who try to destroy me
be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
be turned back in disgrace.
15 Let them be horrified by their shame,
for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”
16 But may all who search for you
be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
17 As for me, since I am poor and needy,
let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
O my God, do not delay.
41 For the choir director: A psalm of David.
1 Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor!
The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble.
2 The Lord protects them
and keeps them alive.
He gives them prosperity in the land
and rescues them from their enemies.
3 The Lord nurses them when they are sick
and restores them to health.
4 “O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.
Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.
“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.
6 They visit me as if they were my friends,
but all the while they gather gossip,
and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.
7 All who hate me whisper about me,
imagining the worst.
8 “He has some fatal disease,” they say.
“He will never get out of that bed!”
9 Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,
the one who shared my food, has turned against me.
10 Lord, have mercy on me.
Make me well again, so I can pay them back!
11 I know you are pleased with me,
for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.
12 You have preserved my life because I am innocent;
you have brought me into your presence forever.
13 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who lives from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and amen!
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Because of what the Lord Jesus accomplished in His sinless life and selfless suffering and death, anyone who turns to Him in faith can claim Psalm 40 as a personal prayer and affirmation of faith. Fr. Reardon asserts (and the author of this blog agrees) the Lord Jesus’s teachings and healings while here on earth were an integral part of His saving work on the cross.* In other words, the work of the cross is the basis on which all healings, miracles, and rescue from sin are based. It is also true that the mere following of religious ritual (even the shedding of blood) cannot remove sin. It is by faith, in the fact that the blood shed by Jesus on the cross was on an individual’s behalf, that he/she is saved. Then follows obedience out of gratitude–the total gift of self over to God. It is Christ’s total obedience to the will of God “by which we are redeemed and rendered holy.”
*Christ in the Psalms by Patrick Henry Reardon p. 77-80.
Prayer: A prayer based on Psalm 40:
Dear Father God who is the ultimate source and supplier of all patience, help me wait patiently for Your perfect timing and actions to answer my needs and desires. You have provided the perfect way to lift me out of the muck and mire of this sinful world (including my own sin and foolishness). You’ve placed me on the solid ground of Your love and grace. You’ve even placed a joyful song of praise in my heart. All who place their trust in You, LORD, can have this kind of overflowing joy as well. Idols, rituals, and sacrifices can’t satisfy us or You. It’s only as we follow Jesus in doing Your will that we will be truly blessed and happy. I no longer have to be afraid to speak out for You, to tell whoever will listen all that You have done for us. I ‘ll talk to individuals or great assemblies about Your justice, Your faithfulness, Your healing and saving power, and Your unfailing love. Right now, my troubles, which are too many to count, surround me. My sins are piled high, and I’ve lost all courage. Please, LORD, rescue me. Take charge of all those who are harassing me. Put them to shame and to flight. Let me be filled with joy and gladness once again. You, O God, are my only hope and help. Please come quickly, my Savior and my Lord. AMEN
A prayer-a-phrase of Psalm 41 on behalf of someone who is suffering from some form of severe affliction:
Dear LORD God, You are the only one who can make even sufferers like ______ truly blessed or happy. Even though he/she is weak, please give _____ compassion (co-suffering) for others who are weak as well. LORD God, on the basis of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, deliver him/her in this time of trouble. Lord, protect him/her and preserve his/her life. Bless _____ in the land of the living. Don’t surrender _______ to the desire of his/her foes. Lord, sustain _____ on his/her sickbed and restore _____ from his/her bed of illness. _____ is saying, “O LORD, have mercy on me, heal me. I have sinned against You by ______ (announce any particular sin the Holy Spirit brings to mind). But, Jesus, You took my punishment for that sin when You died on the cross. I don’t deserve Your forgiveness. I can’t do anything to earn it. All I can do is receive it by faith and thank You for Your great love.” _____’s enemies say of him/her in malice, “When will he/she just give up and die and his/her name perish (be forgotten)?” Whenever any of these so-called friends come to visit, they speak falsely, while in their heart they gather evidence to slander and accuse him. Then they go out and spread rumors. All ______’s enemies (whether visible or invisible, natural. or spiritual) whisper against him/her. They imagine the worst for ______. They say, “A vile disease (or circumstance) has beset him/her. ______ will never get up from the place where he/she lies.” [But they don’t know our loving God and Savior and His power, plans and perspective.] Even _____’s close friend, whom he/she trusted, with whom he/she shared food [and lodging?] has run out on him/her, deserting ______. But we call on You, O LORD, to have mercy on _____. Raise him/her up, so that he/she may repay their evil and sin with Your kindness and grace. Then _____ will know that You are pleased with him/her. _____’s enemies will nottriumph over him/her. As he/she relies on You, Lord, You will establish his/her integrity, uphold ______ and set him/her in Your presence, whether here on earth or in Heaven, forever. All praise to You, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will thank God for using faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus to lift me out of the muck and mire of this sinful world (including my own sin and foolishness).
- I will tell whoever will listen all that Christ has done for us. I’ll talk to individuals or great assemblies about His justice, faithfulness, healing and saving power, and His unfailing love.
- I will pray the prayer-a-phrase of Psalm 41 aloud for a specific friend who is suffering, preferably in their presence.
- I will thank God for the answer and act on it even before I see it happen in the present reality.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.