Read Psalm 41
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.
2 The Lord protects and preserves them—
they are counted among the blessed in the land—
he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed
and restores them from their bed of illness.
4 I said, “Have mercy on me, Lord;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die and his name perish?”
6 When one of them comes to see me,
he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
then he goes out and spreads it around.
7 All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8 “A vile disease has afflicted him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies.”
9 Even my close friend,
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned against me.
10 But may you have mercy on me, Lord;
raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 Because of my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.
13 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
Go Deeper
David uses this psalm to demonstrate how considering the poor can transform one’s life from the illusion of self-sufficiency to that of total dependence on God. Consideration extends beyond just a thought to wise action and intervention. We often think of being poor as purely a monetary or physical condition. The term poor, or poverty, does not simply refer to people in lower economic standing. There is also emotional, relational, and spiritual poverty. None of us are immune to that. Deep awareness of our deficiencies, brokenness, and our own poverty should overwhelm us with our desperate need for a savior. Once we realize that, we are better equipped to care for the needs of those around us.
David continues in verses 5-9 to confess his fears and vulnerabilities to God. By listing rejection, ridicule, gossip, and betrayal, David effectively surrenders himself, his relationships, and situations to God as we are commanded to in Philippians 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:7. Upon realizing our own poverty and deficiency we should also confess our sins, fears, and situations to God and praise God for who He is!
Our culture glorifies individualism and self-determination. From a young age we are conditioned to believe the idea that our successes are the result of our hard work, failures are the result of our laziness, and that we can do everything on our own. But Scripture tells us that we should strive towards full dependence on God rather than ourselves. That realization points us toward our Savior and can transform our lives from self-supported poverty to God-provided blessing.
Questions
- What are your major weaknesses and your greatest areas of poverty?
- Where have you bought into the lies we’re told about individualism and self-determination?
- How can you practice relying on God, rather than yourself, for strength throughout your day?
Listen to This!
Here’s a podcast called “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit” from Tim Keller.
3 responses to “Psalm 41”
Last night was the Sisterhood prayer night. Ladies if you have never been to one, it is amazing. Praying, seeking God, with other like minded women is so so good. There is nothing fancy or artificial about it. Just women pouring their hearts out together for God’s glory. WOOHOO!!
This is David lamenting about being not heard, seen or feeling community. BUT GOD verses 7-11 are prophetic of the red thread of Jesus Christ. He knew oh so well about even His best of friends betrayal, in John 13 Jesus quotes verse 18 of this psalm. We think we need the world but if you are a born again believing believer, you dont. God is our sufficiency. This psalm offers encouragement to the faithful believer who has been slandered. It speaks toward Christ who “raises us up and seats us in heavenly places” (Eph 2:6) despite our current circumstances. BUT GOD has in His word undeniable assurance that as we come to Him with a humble heart we will find exactly what we need.
God thank You for all the amazing words in Your word. God thank You that You give me what I need when I need it. Thank You for helping me to see through a portion of Your lens to know that You are my sufficiency. Not man, not what man thinks but You. Thank You that I can lean in, be still, pray, be still some more, with listening ears to hear. God Your love so overwhelms me. You love soooooo much and most do not have eyes, or heart to see or feel. God thank You for today and these minutes of this day. God I give You the glory and honor for this day. God help me to be careful with words, actions and deeds in these minutes of this day, that all is done for You and is a praise in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s fantastic!
6 When one of them comes to see me,
he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
then he goes out and spreads it around.
I spent much of my career in the sharp-elbowed environment of Wall Street . This description by David of his interactions with adversaries resonates with those years for me!