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Psalm 40

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
² He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
³ He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD.

What has been the most difficult thing in your life for you to wait for? Perhaps you are waiting right at this exact moment for this “thing” or situation. I only bring this up because I find myself waiting expectantly for the Lord to move in my life at this very time and season. Should I whine and complain because He is choosing this plan? Maybe I should be like Jacob and wrestle God, although I have not been experienced in this area. What if I wait on the Lord as He has called me to do! Let me, see obey God or disobey God.

I am confident that most of us don’t go around in our daily lives seeking ways to disobey God. It happens slowly when we choose our own way over His way. When we are so caught up in this world that we are not spending that sweet fellowship with Him in prayer and in His word. How about youth group and the fellowship with other believers, am I consumed with how I look outwardly that my soul is perishing? May this not be so!

Listen to the psalmist, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.” (vs 1) Wow the God of the universe is ready, willing, and waiting to listen to you and me. This just blows me away. How do we get this inclination from our savior? By waiting for Him. Now this is not waiting with anxiety saying, “come on Lord, your taking forever here.” Or waiting like with an attitude of, “I’m not going to do anything, just sit around because I am waiting on the Lord to do whatever for me.” We are to wait with expectancy, expecting God to do what He promises to do and ready to allow Him to do a work in our hearts to receive what He promises to give to us, so that as we wait He brings us ever closer to perfection for glory and honor in Him.

Not only does waiting patiently lead Him to listen to us but to hear our cry! This aspect of God’s attention to us reveals His sensitivity to us. Is 30:18 states: “Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.” What an awesome promise! Here He listens as well as blesses us for our obedience in waiting upon Him. Blessed be our Lord God! So if you find yourself in a holding pattern, don’t lose hope, keep waiting because God will bring all good things to pass if you are seeking Him and trusting in Him. (read Ps 37:4-5)

So in verse 2 of Ps 40 we find the psalmist recalling/remembering what God did in his life. Christ has saved us from an eternity of torment, if we belief that He died for our sins and rose from the dead. I cannot even thank God enough for giving us this wonderful gift of love. To send His only son to die for such a wretch like me. How marvelous is my saviors love for me.  We can wait on Him because He is trustworthy, compassionate, just, holy, and perfect. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He never lies! What an awesome God we serve. Not only does He snatch us out of hell, but He gives us an established life here on earth. He guides and directs us so that we may have an abundant life on earth. He promises to give us good and not evil, Jeremiah 29:11.

What should our response be to our awesome and loving Jesus? How about singing? Perhaps you do not sing, well read Ps 100:1 “Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!” written was not directed to the good singers club, this was written for all people. It states all you lands. What does that mean? Everyone is to make a loud noise to the Lord that is filled with joy. I think of people shouting at a basketball game when I hear the word shout. I don’t think of quiet, soft, singing. So take some time right now to shout for the Lord. Shout out how thankful you are for all He has done for you. Now I can’t sing, but I sure enjoy worshiping my savior at church, in the car, at the store, even at an amusement park. I love to praise Him because He has been so good to me and continues to be my rock and fortress even when my world seems to be crashing down upon me. I know I can trust Him, how I long to trust in Him even more, because He has brought me through so much. I urge you to spend some time reading Ps 40, yes the whole thing. Praying for wisdom, and set your heart to be in fellowship with Him every day. Wait on the Lord, He will hear your cries, bring you up out of the mire (sludge), and allow you to sing praises to Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, may you be exulted above all others today. Forgive our lack of understanding of who you are, a loving, compassionate, trustworthy, and holy God. Forgive us for not waiting patiently for you at times. May our hearts be changed that we may desire fellowship with you each day to bring you glory. As we fail may we get up and not give up but rest in your grace. Help us to help those who are hurting or in fear. Let your will be done, Lord. Thank you for all you have done for us. Bless each individual who has chosen you as Lord and Savior, may they be used mightily for you. In Jesus name, Amen,

God bless you

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As believers we may observe people around us who are not doing the right things, yet seem to have it all. It’s just not fair! But wait there’s more, verse one states to not be worried about those who practice evil, we are not even to envy them. So don’t be jealous just because the people who aren’t doing the right thing seem to be getting it all, stop and listen to the rest of the psalm.

Verse 2 talks about what their outcome will be. Evildoers will be cut down and wither, they will be dried out, weakened, decay, and fail. Ultimately their outcome is eternal torment if they do not surrender to Christ. This is not something I want to happen in my life.

In contrast to the evildoer we are called to put our full dependence in the Lord and to do good. We are to live a virtuous, generous, and honorable life; wow, when was the last time I did anything honorable, what about you? We are also told to live in the land/place God has positioned us at and be feed or satisfied with His faithfulness. He is worthy of our trust and hope because He is faithful even when we are not, He always keeps His promises.

Next be delighted in the Lord, let your joy be only in Christ. This is challenging when so many things and people can take up our time, what occupies most of your time? Whatever it is it may be more important to you then you think, God must be the fist priority in your life. I challenge you to push all the other stuff aside and see what the Lord does. This verse is so cool because it comes with a promise: if you choose to place your joy in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart. Wow! I can’t believe it, God will simply give us our hearts desire and all we have to do is be delighted in Him; where can I sign up?

Wait a minute, this doesn’t mean that if you desire a Ferrari that you are going to get it. If, however, your desire is focused on doing God’s will and obey Him, He will focus your desires and answer your prayers. If you are truly seeking the Lord, than your desires will be pure and God will fulfill them because He is good.

Now that my delight is in the Lord I must commit my way of life to Him and trust in Him. This means that everyday is God’s, I am to ask Him what He would like to accomplish in this day. Trusting in the Lord is not just a nice saying it is an action. To be entirely dependent on God for all things, just think of a FROG: fully relying on God. What is the outcome if I do this? He will bring it to pass. He will bring what to pass? The situation that I face, the prayers I need answered, even my broken heart. He will take care of it all in His perfect time and in His perfect way. He will bring it to pass. I have hope that things will change and for the best because He is in control, not me, Praise the Lord! What are you waiting for to come to pass in your life? Focus on the Lord and trust in Him, He will bring it to pass.

Verse 6 is a promise if we obey the pervious verse. The promise is grace. He will show your righteousness as light and your justice as the noonday. God will reveal your works to others, what do others see when they observe your actions, speech, and life? Is it something you are proud to show off for God? If you are seeking after the Lord He will make you shine like a bright light, so keep shining for your savior and don’t give up.

Now we can rest. In fact we are to daily rest in the Lord, Matthew 11:28-30. Spend some time every day to rest and wait patiently on Him. Make time to stop, rest, and reflect on God. Its never wrong to wait on the Lord, but when He says go, go, don’t wait or make excuses if He tells you to do something or stop doing something, then you will be in disobedience, so be careful, seek God’s word, pray, and seek Godly counsel. Verse 7 also brings up the evildoer, not to worry about them when they prosper. Our eyes must be on the Lord and remember that He is in control, He sees all, knows all, and establishes all.

This whole psalm is wonderful, but I really like verse 8, its not just good advice it’s a command. It states: stay away from anger, terminate it! If you are harboring or holding anger against someone, God commands you to stop being angry, no matter the circumstances. We are also called to forsake wrath/rage/fury/resentment. Any resentment that may be in your heart needs to be given up to God. Allow Him to heal the pain or wrong that may have been done to you. Treat this resentment as you would soiled underwear, just get rid of it or let the washing machine clean it. I know that you wouldn’t cling tightly to a pair of your dirty underwear, then don’t hold on to any resentment or anger you may have stored in your heart.

The last part of this verse speaks of not worrying because it only causes harm. Read Matthew 6:25-34 if you get the chance. This is a command from our Lord, Jesus: do not worry about anything. Matt 6:33 – but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

I pray these verses encouraged you as they did me. I encourage you and challenge you to delight yourself in the Lord, trust in Him, wait upon Him, don’t worry, and see all the glorious things He will do in and through your life.

God bless you