I do not know about you, but as for me I have smooth easy-going days that flow along like a lazy river, but like that river ever so often I hit a rough patch.  It may be a submerged rock that jars that boat or some rough water that will seemingly set my head spinning and heart beating. When those rough waters come I am left with two choices; trust God or trust man.

In the past, I would use brute force and ugliness to overcome any obstacle.  Sometimes that was a bloody mess and when it was over everyone involved was glad to have survived.  But when I came to the Lord I came to realize that method did not always solve the problem, it simply changed it a little bit and set the field for another battle.  This morning I was reminded in Psalms 40 that brute force and ugliness is not a solution but a prideful reaction.  The solution is to call on the Lord and wait, as He is my help and deliverer.

Psalms 40:16-17

Today was a long morning of prayer.  I had a lot of issues I was struggling with.  They were all over the map, and I just prayed.  Somewhere in this process, I stopped to read the K-Love verse of the day.  The verse was Psalm 40:16-17

Psalms 40:16-17 (ESV)

¹⁶ But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

say continually, “Great is the LORD!”

¹⁷ As for me, I am poor and needy,

but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God!

I read this verse, and it rekindled my prayers.  I looked at that passage, and I just prayed about it.  Prayed for those I knew were struggling prayed for those that are in pain and for those that just seem to be isolated and not sure where to turn.  I prayed that in their circumstances they might be seeking the Lord.

Meditation

I think most of us at one time or another find ourselves in those tough spots.  Maybe it is a health issue or maybe a financial issue that sets our mind to worry.  There are also those times when seeing circumstances for friends or family changing and We feel there is nothing we can do.  All we know for sure is that we do not want that change for them.  But during these trials, there is only one source of strength and only one hope, and He is faithful.

I applied these two verses to my prayer, and as it calmed my spirit, I found that I had to read the rest of this Psalm.  So, I went to the beginning.

My Help and My Deliverer

I did not initially read the title when I read the last two verses.  I just went straight to them, but once I read the title, it made sense to me- “My Help and My Deliverer.”  Of course, He is El Shaddai – “God Almighty” who has power over all things.  I read the Psalm and prayed as I read and gave thanks for Him hearing my prayers and for the comfort that came with His Word.  There is a comfort that comes to me when I let go and surrender my concerns to Him.

Psalms 40:1-2

I read verses 1, and 2 and my eyes opened a bit (actually it was my ears.)

Psalms 40:1-2 (ESV)

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

² He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

I was so busy talking that I had not been listening; I had not been waiting patiently this morning.  If I had, I would have realized in all this He had heard my cry from the start.  But it was not until I started reading from the beginning of Psalm 40 that my brain realized what my heart already knew.  He drew me out of this miry bog of my own creating and set me on firm ground to make my steps secure. It humbled me and softened my heart so that I might hear the rest that He had for me this morning.

Psalms 40:3

Verse 3 was further confirmation because as I read it, I was lifted up with the joy that comes from listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Psalms 40:3 (ESV)

³ He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the LORD.

He put this new song of praise in my heart and filled me with this joy and desire to put all this down in this blog today.  That God is our strength and mighty refuge and that there is nothing he cannot do if we will call on Him and place our trust in Him.  He is faithful.  But it did not stop there for me.  Verse 4 added to my strength and confidence in the Lord.

Psalm 40:4-5

I read the next two verses and just meditated on them a while and prayed.

Psalms 40:4-5 (ESV)

⁴ Blessed is the man who makes

the LORD his trust,

who does not turn to the proud,

to those who go astray after a lie!

⁵ You have multiplied, O LORD my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet they are more than can be told.

When I read these two verses, they are so true.  The more I place my trust in God and let go of my pride the more I realize the blessing of God.  I want to proclaim it to the world, but there is truly more than can be told.  But at the same time, I know that the Holy Spirit will give me the words I need when I need them.

Reflections

These first six verses just helped me get my mind in alignment with God.  They calmed my spirit and the Holy Spirit used them to help me focus my prayers and unjumble my mess.  God does not want to leave us twisting in the wind or flailing about over stuff.  He is always there to help us in our trials if we will turn to him rather than rely on our own resources… our own pride.  It makes no room for God.  Psalm 10 kind puts it in perspective kind of bluntly.

Psalms 10:4 (ESV)

⁴ In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;

all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

Honestly, I did not want to use this verse, but there it was, and the more I read it, the more I did not want to use it.  Why?  Because I could not admit that when I turned to my prideful efforts and did not seek God in my trials, I was, in effect being wicked and in my heart saying there was no God.

That was NEVER what I intended in those times, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how my actions impact God.

Another Angle on Psalm 10:4

The Holy Spirit touched my heart with this verse like a piercing knife.  I kept telling myself that God could not believe that I felt this way when I took things into my own hands and did not bring them to Him first.  But then the Holy Spirit made it real for me.  He reminded me of those times when I hurt my wife Pat’s feeling by deciding or plan without discussing it with her.  Even at those times, I did not grasp it, but I did this morning.

Yes, she would get angry when those times occurred, but until this morning I do not think I saw the hurt that caused the anger.  If at the time I did, it is much clearer this morning.  I realized the times when things were reversed as well.  But what hit me was that we both have a stake in this relationship.  We should not act without first consulting each other.  But God has a stake too.   Pat and I are part of a three-strand cord and as such our strength is in our union.

Together we take everything to God.  He is our King.  There is no other.  So, when I look at that verse in Psalms, as harsh and direct as it might be, and as much as it may not be my intention, when I stand on my pride and refuse to turn to God I am in affect saying there is no God.  That breaks my heart to think I have done that to Him.

Psalm 40:6

I prayed and meditated on Psalm 10 and Psalm 40:4-5 for a long time before moving to verse six.  It is a wonderful passage.  It reminds me of a passage in Psalm 51.

Psalms 40:6 (ESV)

⁶ In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ear.

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

In all this, David came to God in humble prayer with a contrite heart.  The Lord did not require offering.  He listened to David prayer.  David humbled himself from the beginning.  That reminds me of a passage in Psalm 51 as well.

Psalm 51:16-17

Psalm 51 is another Psalm of David, but this is a cry for forgiveness that came after Nathan prophet went to him after he had been with Bathsheba.  He cried for mercy and forgiveness.

In the verses 16 and 17, he talked about sacrifice in the same way as he did in 40 but added a piece at the end that touches my heart.

Psalms 51:16-17 (ESV)

¹⁶ For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;

you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

God’s desire is a broken spirit and contrite heart that turns to him free from pride.  One that desires only God and His forgiveness.  True repentance a heart of flesh.

Psalms 40:9-10

After those thoughts, I went back to Psalm and read 9-10

Psalms 40:9-10 (ESV)

⁹ I have told the glad news of deliverance

in the great congregation;

behold, I have not restrained my lips,

as you know, O LORD.

¹⁰ I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

from the great congregation.

As I read these two verses, I thought to myself, “how can anyone be silent when the Holy Spirit fills my heart with the good news of God’s Word.”  I must let it out just like this morning.  It is too powerful to contain.  The last passage of Psalm 40 reaffirms its truth.

Psalms 40:16-17

Psalms 40:16-17 (ESV)

¹⁶ But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

say continually, “Great is the LORD!”

¹⁷ As for me, I am poor and needy,

but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God!

No matter what we think we have in this world, we have NOTHING without God.  He is our hope and salvation and our Deliverer.

Closing Thoughts

I get overwhelmed by God’s Word and the wisdom He shares in it.  So often I try to complicate things or leave Him out completely, but the truth is that EL SHADDAI “God Almighty” is sovereign over all things, and I do not have to understand I have to trust in Him.  God explains it in Isaiah 55

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV)

⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God has more than earned our trust.  Are we willing to demonstrate obedience and surrender our pride?  Will we do as Jesus asked of us?

Luke 9:23 (ESV)

²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Thank you, Lord, for my nourishment today.

Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)

man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Prayer

Father, forgive me for those moments when I ignore you and go my way.  Lord I never really considered how heartless those actions were.  Father, I love you and praise you and thank you for your grace and mercy in Jesus name, Amen.