September 18, 2023 --Psalm 40:5, 13-14 -- The Psalm Series: Thanksgiving and Lament

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
   Your wondrous deeds and Your thoughts toward us;
   none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
   yet they are more than can be told.

Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me!
   O LORD, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
   who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
   who delight in my hurt!
Psalm 40:5, 13-15 ESV

It is almost jarring to read these verses together. Psalm 40 shows the complexity of the human heart which is vulnerable to God and open in prayer. The first ten verses are thanksgiving, but the last seven verses are lamentation. So the lead paragraph is taken from the thanksgiving section, while the last is three verses of lamentation. It is almost jarring when you read it flowing suddenly from one emotional state to another. Yet this shows us the lovingkindness of our Father in heaven Who, by His Spirit, taught His people to pray such prayers. The Psalms are the prayer-book of the Scriptures. The Psalms, written by ordinary men, were composed so that the whole range of human experiences and emotions and circumstances could be lifted up to God in prayer.

The last few days have been rough for me. I have been battling depression…and it seems to be winning. A Psalm like this is evidence to me (and others who suffering from anxiousness, or depression, or other mental health struggles) that the LORD our God does not reject His suffering ones.

Perhaps anxiety and depression are not part of your vocabulary or experience. Thanks be to God for that! Then let the words of this psalm be for you a prayer on behalf of those in your life who you know are struggling. Furthermore, let the opening thanksgiving of this Psalm be for you true worship and praise.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Thank You for the lamentations of Scripture and invitation You give that all who suffer can find refuge in Jesus, for He suffered in every way we do and yet was without sin. Spirit of the Living God let those who rejoice today rejoice with great thanksgiving and let those who are suffering be comforted in the knowledge their suffering and tears are recorded in Your book of life. Amen.

https://youtu.be/SR7aLsMTE3U?si=F7clqOpbnUl8vzX8 Psalm 40 The Psalm Project

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