Read Psalm 40
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.
4 Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
5 Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9 I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, Lord,
as you know.
10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly.
11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
13 Be pleased to save me, Lord;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.
14 May all who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”
17 But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay.
Go Deeper
We know with our heads that God is able to redeem the messy things in us, but we also know the battle in our hearts to really live out that belief. We want to fix ourselves, to heal our own brokenness, to get ourselves out of the messes we find ourselves in. Wouldn’t it be so much faster that way? And wouldn’t that give us the satisfaction of knowing we are strong, independent, and capable all on our own?
Psalm 40 shows a much different approach. All throughout this chapter, David remembers his weakness and inability to save himself. While David is feeling overtaken by his sinfulness (v. 12), his response is to wait patiently for the Lord to save him. If you look at the actions of David compared to the actions of God described in this chapter, you will notice an important difference. God has lifted David from the pit, set his feet on firm ground, and protected and delivered him. David acknowledges his need, sees the work of God, then speaks of God’s faithfulness. God does the work and David responds with praise.
The healing of our hearts and our own sinfulness happens when we remember that we cannot do anything by our own power. We cannot heal or fix ourselves. We cannot earn our own forgiveness or salvation. On our own, we are powerless to overcome sin and brokenness. Those who long for God and for His saving help are the ones who will see His greatness (v. 16) because those are the people that are best positioned to see God move.
David knows this because he knows God’s heart – that we would acknowledge our complete dependence on God and that He would be glorified through our praise and faithfulness. He does not want our sacrifices. He wants our hearts and our praise. Isn’t that exactly what is at the heart of the gospel? While we were stuck in the mud and mire, God became flesh, took on our sin, died, and rose again to save and redeem us. When we acknowledge that we cannot do anything apart from God, only God can receive the glory. Then His name will be made great and His people will respond in praise. What a good God that His glory is also our greatest good.
Questions
- Where are you depending on your own strength or ability to bring healing, instead of moving toward God in prayer and relying on God’s power?
- Where can you offer praise to God today? What in your life, large or small, can you show gratitude for today?
- Who can you share with about God’s work in your life today?
By the Way
Psalm 40:6-8 is quoted in Hebrews 10:5-7 to remind us that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross has covered us once and for all. Jesus’ payment for our sins allows us to look to Christ instead of to ourselves for full forgiveness from our sins. We cannot earn what has been freely given to us, but we can respond by living faithfully and giving our praise to God.
5 responses to “Psalm 40”
“But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay” (v17).
I’m reminded that humility is the posture of my heart that connects me most with God. It positions me perfectly to recognize my flawed state in light of his saving grace. It rids me of pride that skews my vision of seeing his love, faithfulness and mercy and ushers in praise and gratitude to the one who turns to me and hears my cry.
Yes, humility!
Grateful or full of cynicism?
There are days I fall into to the wrong camp. The day starts off not so good and I struggle to regroup. Get to work and more reasons to gripe and complain. It just rolls out of my mouth without thought. I think this is making me feel better, but it just drives me further into despair.
Everyday is an undeserved gift of God. We ought to live simple, normal, uneventful days full of amazed, thankful joy.
Gratitude leads to thankfulness. Thankfulness leads to praise. Praise leads to joy. Joy transforms our perspective on life and aligns us toward God’s heart. David goes on to connect our joy in Him to obedience.
Happy are those who trust the LORD, who do not turn to idols or join those who worship false gods. 5 You have done many things for us, O LORD our God; there is no one like you! You have made many wonderful plans for us. I could never speak of them all— their number is so great! Psalms 40:4-5 GNB
God sent His son, Jesus to atone for all. Jesus willingly died for you and me so that we didnt have to do the sacrificial things. BUT GOD still wants us to have the grateful, thankful attitude about all that He has done and is in the process of still doing, for us. James 1:22-25 GNB Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice. 23 If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are. 24 They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like. 25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.
God thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son. Thank You that He was willing to die for me so that I can have a relationship with You. God thank You that I see my glass half full, actually through my lens of You my glass is overflowing and effervescing with joy unspeakable. God thank You for continually directing my path to obedience. Thank You that my freedom of choice is to choose You for all my days. God thank You for today, these minutes of this day that I am thankful, grateful, blessed, praising, joyfully and obedient. God thank You for seeing people and situations through Your love goggles. God thank You for the zillion things You have done and are doing for me. Thank You for loving me and me feeling that love in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
He puts a new song in my mouth! Hallelujah!
“40” is a song by U2 based on Psalm 40. This was their walk-off song at the end of their concerts. So powerful!
Here it is: https://youtu.be/CMVghDg-ePc?si=tICLrCZ7VZh__hOp
Ah yes!! I remember in HS and college being a huge U2 fan and hearing 40 and sadly not really knowing what it was about. I have thought of this song quite a bit through study of the book of Psalms because of how frequently David asked, “How long?”
I will be humming it all day today.