Talk About It

Psalm 40:1 – I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
³ He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
⁵ O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

⁶ You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand^[a]—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
⁷ Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
⁸ I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

⁹ I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
¹⁰ I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness. (NLT)

In this psalm we have a wonderful picture of what the Lord can do for those who wait Patiently on the Lord. Then we see what our response should be when we receive an answered prayer.  In verses 1-3, the psalmist declares what the Lord has done: lifted him out of the pit; set his feet on solid ground; steadied his walk; gave him a new song in his heart. As great as that was, the psalmist was determined that others would come to notice what the Lord has done: “Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord” (verse 3).

We, too, should be determined that others should take notice of what God has done for us.  How do we make sure that others take notice?  The answer is given in verses nine and ten.  The psalmist spoke up and told others what the Lord had done.  In verse ten he states that he has not kept the good news to himself. We have the fullness of the Good News that the ancient Jews never had, so we should be even more determined to share. We cannot keep God’s Good News hidden. It has not been given to us to keep to ourselves, but rather it was given to us to share with others.  2 Corinthians 5:20 tells us: “God is making his appeal through us.”  God is making an appeal to all people, and we are the means by which all people can come to know of God’s grace. 

Today, let us be as the psalmist.  Let us talk about God’s saving power and unfailing love (verse 10).

Posted by Ramón Torres