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I will praise the LORD!
The LORD Sustains Them
28 Saturday Mar 2020
Category Archives: Psalm 40
Psalm 40:16
22 Sunday Mar 2020
“The LORD is Great!”
22 Sunday Mar 2020
Tags
I will praise the LORD!
Photo by David Kitz
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.
May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
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!”
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.
(Psalm 40:14-17, NIV)*
* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica
Psalm 40:11
21 Saturday Mar 2020
A Call for Mercy
21 Saturday Mar 2020
Tags
I will praise the LORD!
Wild pin cherries — Photo by David Kitz
Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
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.
Be pleased to save me, LORD;
come quickly, LORD, to help me.
(Psalm 40:11-13, NIV)*
* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica
From Psalm 40
15 Sunday Mar 2020
Here I Am
15 Sunday Mar 2020
Tags
I will praise the LORD!
Photo by David Kitz
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened —
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, LORD,
as you know.
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.
(Psalm 40:6-10, NIV)*
* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica
Wonders too Many to Declare
14 Saturday Mar 2020
I will praise the LORD!
Photo by David Kitz
Blessed is the one
who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
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.
(Psalm 40:4-5, NIV)*
* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica
He Heard my Cry
08 Sunday Mar 2020
I will praise the LORD!
Chateau Lake Louise — photo by David Kitz
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
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.
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.
(Psalm 40:1-3, NIV)*
* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica
Grace for our Journey
27 Wednesday Feb 2019
Tags
favor, God's favor, grace, grace of God, Psalm 40, salvation
Reading: Psalm 40
(Verses 11-17)
Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
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.
Be pleased to save me, LORD;
come quickly, LORD, to help me.
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.
May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
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!”
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 (NIV).
Autumn glory in Gatineau Park — photo by David Kitz
Reflection
David begins Psalm 40 by praising the LORD for rescuing him from the slimy pit of the past. But David ends this psalm with a fresh appeal for God’s mercy. Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
As we move forward, it is only fitting that we take time to praise God for what He has done for us in the past. Let us never forget that the LORD’s faithfulness has brought us to this point. We are not where we are today because of our own cleverness, effort or ability. Every talent we have is a gift from God; every breath we take is a gift from the Giver of Life.
Yet again David appeals for God’s salvation. Be pleased to save me, LORD; come quickly, LORD, to help me.
By the grace of God I have experienced an initial point of salvation, just like David, but my salvation needs to be renewed from time to time. We all need to experience fresh surges of God’s grace and love. Grace (charis) in the full New Testament sense means much more than just unmerited favor. It means we are recipients of God’s providential gifting and power to live a maximized life under His caring guidance. There’s something supernatural about grace. It goes beyond human ability or ingenuity because it comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. When we call out to God as David did, we are tapping into an ocean full of help, strength and possibilities beyond fathoming.
May that grace, that charis of God, be with you and upon you in the days ahead.
Response: LORD God, I need you as I face the days ahead. Equip me with divine grace and ability for each day through the love and power of Jesus. Amen.
Your Turn: Have you experienced God’s grace in the past week—the past year?
I love the Psalms 