Psalm 40 New American Standard Bible 1995
God Sustains His Servant.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
40 I waited [a]patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the [b]miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.
4 How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And has not [c]turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.
6 [d]Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have [e]opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is [f]written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart.”
9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
11 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
[g]Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has [h]failed me.
13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
Make haste, O Lord, to help me.
14 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my [i]life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight [j]in my hurt.
15 Let those be [k]appalled because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“The Lord be magnified!”
17 Since I am afflicted and needy,
[l]Let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Happiness in Being Cared For by God
Psalm 40:11-12 The Message
11-12 Now God, don’t hold out on me,
don’t hold back your passion.
Your love and truth
are all that keeps me together.
When troubles ganged up on me,
a mob of sins past counting,
I was so swamped by guilt
I couldn’t see my way clear.
More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.
One of the most comforting truths for our lives is the providence of God.
The Lord Almighty takes care of us 100% of the time. The same God who created us also 100% sustains us. In this comfort we live and move and have our being.
God is the one who gives us breath and 100% of everything He knows we need.
God gives life to the seeds and plants we need for food. God gives us our daily bread and good health to enjoy. He even gives flavor to our food so that we can savor it. God is the one who preserves our life and delivers us from evil. The Lord God is our creator, provider, protector, redeemer, and our comforter.
The apostle Paul asks, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
Our life does not drift on the winds of time at random, at the mercy of mere circumstances. We are all in the hands of the one who controls the universe.
How comforting it is to know that the God who rules the world is in control of our lives!
It is a great assurance to troubled souls and burdened hearts to know that God cares for them. He is thinking about you right now and has not forgotten your pain and need. Knowing this, everyone who seeks the Lord can be filled with joy.
Happiness is being unselfishly Cared for by Others
John 13:34-35 Amplified Bible
34 I am giving you a new commandment, that you [a]love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.”
The walk of life is filled with all kinds of relationships.
We pray that they’re mostly good ones that enrich our lives, but that’s not always the case.
They say people are here for a reason, a season, or a lifetime; unfortunately, some fall in the former.
Lucky for us, God redeems all things for good, and losing a friendship or just not clicking with someone from the start are no exceptions to that rule.
It doesn’t make it easier at the moment, though, and spending time around these people can be inevitable.
However, it’s during times like these that I’m often reminded of one of the more remarkable concepts in the faith, one that can be challenging when the temptation is to do the exact opposite.
Golden Rule #1 Treat everyone like Jesus died for them. (Matthew 7:7 – 12)
Because He did. Yes, even that stranger who was rude to you at Starbucks, even that ex-friend from your past who won’t stop spreading rumors about you and even that peer who won’t get off your nerves and those contrary to God’s ways.
All of them have the same opportunity for salvation as you.
It’s inviting to let those people hold a 100 year mortgage on the space between your ears, ruin your day, snap back, maybe say something bad about them too.
That’s not how Jesus taught us we’re supposed to publicly conduct ourselves.
Navigating the John 13:33 – 34 text is one of the more powerful exercises for self-control, but you have to remind yourself in those moments they are a child of God too and loved just the same as you. You can’t treat them as anything less.
Unlocking all those Secrets of Navigating John 13-34
1. Love God as God Loves Us.
Matthew 22:35-40 The Message
The Most Important Command
34-36 When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”
37-40 Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.”
It’s a simple concept. When Jesus was approached and asked outright what the greatest commandment was in Matthew 22:37, He didn’t hesitate to answer that it was to love the Lord your God with all of your heart. He continued to say that the second is like it and that you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
However bothersome that person is to you, they are your neighbor, and you are not asked to like them; you are commanded to love them.
Otherwise, you would not be loving God.
The two are so closely intertwined that you can’t have one without the other. Now, what is love? How do we love someone who has done us so wrong?
“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” Luke 6:31
Christianity demands kindness and just treatment, but the Bible has never instructed us to be doormats or pushovers.
Matthew 7:12 echoes the same sentiment referenced above.
To start, we can simply treat others civilly.
In fact, it truly is the most mature course of action for any interaction.
Being civil and respectful are the bare minimum acceptable standards, and no one benefits from gossip or behind the back snarky comments or dirty looks.
It’s certainly not expected to treat someone as a friend when they haven’t been one; it’s not good to reward harmful hurtful and 100% unacceptable behavior, but there are a few ways to have decorum going forward: Faith Hope and Love.
2. Pray for Others
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The Message
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
It’s incredibly hard to continue feeling anger toward someone if you’re praying for them—not praying because you feel obligated, but genuinely sitting down and praying for that person. Putting yourself in your enemies’ shoes and too walking their path, very quickly gives you a new Kingdom perspective.
I’ve tried this out myself on occasion, and it had me thinking in ways I never would have thought about someone who betrayed me.
I felt compassion and even empathy.
It brought me peace in ways I didn’t know it would. I found myself thinking about all that may be going on in their lives to make them act in those ways.
Matthew 5:43-48 The Message
43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
Maybe the grumpy and rude someone at Starbucks or Burger King had just received some bad or devastating news sometime during that day. I didn’t have to imagine the scenarios for ex-friends because, funny enough, I already knew them so well. They’d always had struggles with their family or even their own self-worth. We didn’t need to keep being friends, but I could pray for them.
3. Extend Grace
Ephesians 2:8-10 The Message
7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Remember, revenge, picking a fight, and gossiping are not the path to healing.
Instead, embrace the power of love and grace.
It’s not necessary to maintain a friendship that causes you pain.
By choosing to love yourself and others, you can overcome the hurt.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29
However, responding with malice or cruel intent is also not loving.
Act with grace and treat the other person with dignity.
Jesus wants us to set boundaries and defend ourselves in respectful ways, but seeking revenge is not our job.
God will repay; He expects us to do what is honorable.
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:17-21
4. Pause before Reacting
Proverbs 3:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your [a]body
And refreshment to your bones.
There are two different paths to take when dealing with someone we don’t get on with, whether we’ve just met them or known them for a long time.
Confrontation is the first option.
Is the situation worth having a conversation?
Obviously, that person in the Starbucks or the Burger King probably doesn’t need a conversation, but someone who did you wrong and you will likely keep seeing may need to be spoken to.
That peer from before, maybe you’re working on a project for school with someone who won’t do their part, or you have a coworker who won’t stop bugging you. They may need kind and intentional confrontation. If there’s something you can do to make that everyday reaction better, you should.
If it’s that friend from your past, sometimes an honest discussion can go a long way. But conversation isn’t always meant to salvage something. Sometimes, it’s meant for the circumstance to help you part ways, walk different divergent line.
Distance is the other option.
Tough love is love, too, and I’m a firm believer in that.
That can be executed by taking space if it’s possible.
Remember, you won’t always get closure the way you want it, and on occasion, that is all the closure you’ll get.
You’ll save yourself a lot of pain and struggle by making that choice to step away. Even if your relationship used to be close or maybe that person was just in your life quite a bit, they won’t always need that confrontation. Talking doesn’t solve everything. Walking away can be the best “I Love You” course of action.
Pray for discernment to determine which would be best for your situation.
God will help nudge you in the direction you should take.
It’s important to be astute going forward to protect yourself.
“Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse.” Proverbs 2:11-12
5. Remember, You Are Loved
Romans 5:8-11 The Message
6-8 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
9-11 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!
Sometimes, in our heads, it can feel like, ‘How could a person who is so mean, rude, or awful have the opportunity for forgiveness in the same way I do’?
Why would Jesus make the “tough love” decision to go through all that grief, all that bodily pain and ultimate humiliation of the Cross to do that for them, too?
It’s because they need it, and you need it too. You need forgiveness like they do because you, too, have sinned. Jesus didn’t come to condemn; He came to save.
I desperately need the daily reminder that we are all sinners in need of His forgiveness and that while I may feel like the victim now, there have most definitely been instances in the past when I was the villain in someone else’s story, instances where I may not have conducted myself with grace and dignity.
It’s why we all deserve to be treated like Jesus died for us—because, thank goodness, thank God, He did so love us with an everlasting sacrifice of love!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray.
Psalm 23 The Message
23 1-3 God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
4 Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure.
5 You serve me a six-course dinner
right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
my cup brims with blessing.
6 Your beauty and love chase after me
every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
for the rest of my life.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 