(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Psalm 40:1-17) I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He reached down to me and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud;
And He set my feet on a rock, making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.
4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who become involved in falsehood.
5 Many, Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is no one to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.
6 You have not desired sacrifice and meal offering;
You have opened my ears;
You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
It is written of me in the scroll of the book.
8 I delight to do Your will, my God;
Your Law is within my heart.”
9 I have proclaimed good news of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
Lord, You know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation.
11 You, Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My guilty deeds have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has failed me.
13 Be pleased, Lord, to rescue me;
Hurry, Lord, to help me.
14 May those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my life to destroy it;
May those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.
15 May those be appalled because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation continually say,
“The Lord be exalted!”
17 But I am afflicted and needy;
May the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my savior;
Do not delay, my God.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
And He reached down to me and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud;
And He set my feet on a rock, making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.
4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who become involved in falsehood.
5 Many, Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is no one to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.
6 You have not desired sacrifice and meal offering;
You have opened my ears;
You have not required burnt offering and sin offering.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
It is written of me in the scroll of the book.
8 I delight to do Your will, my God;
Your Law is within my heart.”
9 I have proclaimed good news of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
Lord, You know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your mercy and Your truth from the great congregation.
11 You, Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My guilty deeds have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has failed me.
13 Be pleased, Lord, to rescue me;
Hurry, Lord, to help me.
14 May those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my life to destroy it;
May those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.
15 May those be appalled because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
May those who love Your salvation continually say,
“The Lord be exalted!”
17 But I am afflicted and needy;
May the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my savior;
Do not delay, my God.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
This song demonstrates how much understanding David had about being "a Christian":
- we are all sinners in need of a savior, and in need of continuous help (verses 11, 16-17)
- we cannot earn our way to heaven, even if we go through religious motions! God doesn't want empty rituals, He wants our heart (verse 6)
- there is predestination, because God knows before we are even created who will become a believer (verse 7)
- to be saved, all we have to do is go to the Lord (verse 7)
- it is God who saves us from our sin and sets our feet on the rock, which is Christ Jesus and His eternal salvation (verse 2)
- when we become believers, the Holy Spirit indwells us in order to protect and guide us (verse 8)
- as believers, we will love to follow and carry out God's will (verse 8)
- we should continue seeking the Lord, and reading and studying the Bible, which is His word (verse 16)
- we will want to know and embrace God's truth (verse 11)
- we will trust in the Lord (verse 1-4)
- we will not turn back to trusting in ourselves or mankind or the world's way (verse 4)
- when we sin, we should confess those to the Lord and continue on in His will (verses 12-13)
- we should depend on the Lord to help us continuously (verse 16)
- we can talk to God anytime, all of the time! (verses 13, 17)
- and we will leave vengeance and judgement to the Lord (verses 13-15)
- meanwhile, our focus should be on our desire to exalt the Lord with our praises and rejoice and be glad, and sing songs of praise which the Lord gives to us! (verses 3, 16)
- we should look forward to going to church to worship the Lord together (verse 9-10)
- and last but certainly not least, we should desire to spread the good news of the gospel message (verses 3, 5, 9-10)
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