Psalm 40 - part 3

I'll post the 3rd and last part of the bible study on Psalm 40 verse 1 below. Three more parts for 3 more studies to come, all on Psalm 40. The second is on verse 2, the third on verses 3 and 4 and the final one is on verses 6 to 8. Once again comments are welcomed!

You can read part 1 here and part 2 here.

Psalm 40 can be found here.

3. God will come.


So we wait and God inclines himself to us. He leans closely and assures us of His presence and good will, which David craved so greatly. He manoeuvres the chess pieces of our lives and we see His work in action. We cry out and he draws close ensuring that we know He has heard our cry. We can do so with full confidence.

David encourages us in Psalm 27: 14 to “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”



As a child when you ran and fell on a gravel path skinning your knees and palms – the pain was pretty much secondary. Yes it stung and shocked and initially that was the painful thing. MUM! DAD! You’d cry out to them in distress.

Now Mum and/or Dad may have shouted from a distance “you ok?”, maybe they could have stood at the window and not said a word. Mum may have silently raised a marigold and gestured ‘ok?’ with a quizzical look. Both show concern and that you’ve been heard. Occasionally this is needed – a detachment of sorts so we learn to not be over dramatic in small things. It helped us grow and mature and develop our character.

But... but when they detected that you were really hurt. Really in distress. Really in need of that parental hug, that warm embrace. Then they ran. They ran to us and picked us up and held us tight saying ‘there there, Daddy’s here’, ‘don’t worry Mum’s got you’.

The worry eased, the tears were wiped away. The pain subsided and became bearable.

Isn’t that David here? He’s cried out, his arms are raised awaiting the Lord to draw near and embrace him. He knows God will come. He waits as a child waits for their parent.

Our hearts can indeed be strengthened and we can be of good courage with such as parent. We can rely on Him in everything and wait in full assured confidence of His coming. That childlike faith shines through here doesn’t it? Unblinking, (if teary eyed) confidence that he’ll come for me.

When we pray – He will answer.

The pain can be in the wait. But utter joy lies in the comfort and the boundless love that comes when the Lord Jesus draws near to us, holds us to Him and assures us that we are indeed Christ’s alone and in his justifying, atoning blood sacrifice we are lifted from the miry clay and our feet set upon the rock of the Lord Jesus enabling us to see from our new vantage point the blackness of the bog we have left behind and the heavenly glow atop Mount Zion which we will one glorious day ascend to.

There is no firmer foothold. There is no other way out of the boggy clay. Cry out to Jesus, He will hear you. Of that the Christian can be no more certain.

Amen

Next post - Psalm 40: 2