This morning I read this “verse of the day” by K-Love radio; it was Psalm 40:2. This verse is a beautiful passage taken from a Psalm written by David. I love the words.
Psalms 40:2 (ESV)
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 read the passage, and I am reminded of all the times the Lord has pulled me out of whatever mess I have found myself in and restored my footing, but there is so much to this Psalm that I could not stop at this one verse.
First, I read through the whole psalm. Then I just focused on each part that fit together for me. The first pause came after verse 3.
Psalm 40:1-3 Patience
I read verses one through three, and I saw this image of those times when I was struggling with, and issue and I took it to the Lord God for help and guidance. David in verse one showed the right way to start; He waited patiently. I do not know about you, but that is not always my approach. I am part of the 30-minute generation that grew up watching TV.
Psalms 40:1-3 (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.
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.
Every situation in the world from a battle on the “Rat Patrol” or gunfight on “Have Gun Will Travel” or drama on “Gun Smoke” or “Rawhide” could be resolved in 30-60 minutes. There was NO problem so big that you could not fix it in 60 minutes. But David reminds me that I must wait patiently for the Lord. He also reminded me why I must be patient. Because God is faithful, and He will put a new song in my heart. I need only to trust in Him and know that all will work in accordance with His time.
Now that can be challenging, but as I considered these words and reflected on them, it did not take to long to remember all the times God had demonstrated His faithfulness, even when I did not. That last sentence just rang in my ears… “Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.” That is what we all must do-Trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:4-5 Trust
And that is where it goes in verses four through five, but it is so important that we recognize this and celebrate it with every part of our being.
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.
Just take a moment to count your blessings with this passage. It is impossible to count them all; just the ones I can remember blow my mind. I look around me at God’s creation and the wonder of His actions in my life alone and it is hard for me to fathom, and all I can say is praise God!! Thank You, Jesus!!
It does not stop there. David reminded me of God’s desire for me in the next few verses.
Psalm 40:6-8 The Law on My Heart
I love how David spells God’s desires in these few verses.
Psalms 40:6-8 (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.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
God’s desire is for us to know him. To have His law… His Word written on our heart. This passage reminds me of the new covenant promised in Jeremiah and again related in Hebrews chapter eight.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 (ESV)
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
David is such a wonderful example of how to pursue God. He shows us that he honors God in his words and actions and loves Him as God desires us all to love Him:
Matthew 22:37 (ESV)
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
When you have this heart filled with this faith and understanding you cannot contain it.
Psalm 40:9-10 Testimony
Filled with this love for God and this understanding David could not contain himself nor can I. He had to share it with the congregation.
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.
David’s news was wonderful, but the message we have surpasses that because we have the new covenant in Jesus Christ. We have a gift that so many of the old testament longed for but did not see. We have the gift of grace through Jesus Christ.
We have the example David, but we have Jesus Christ.
John 1:1-5 (ESV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 3:16-18 (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is but a morsel of the message that we have to share. Are we telling the Good News we have like David did? Can we say that we have not hidden it?
Psalm 40:11-17 Joy
David closes this Psalm giving praise to God. He had only one last request and acknowledgment in the last two verses that stick in my heart as well.
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!
What a wonderful close to this Psalm.
Closing Thoughts
The words in this passage are my prayer. I read through them, and I think of what a joy it is to be a slave to the one eternal God. He has given me so much and asks so little. I know that I fail Him daily, but in all that I do, he is patient. When he uses correction, He does so because He loves me and I am a blood bought son of the most High God.
Prayer
Father, thank you for all that you do. Thank you for the gift of your word and the example of your servants and your Son. Lord, I praise you. Help me that I might never stop speaking of Your Gospel! In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!
