Take a moment to think about the last two verses of Psalm 40:
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
Poor and needy. Maybe that’s exactly how you feel today. Poor and needy, not financially or physically, but spiritually and emotionally. Something’s been missing, and you know it. You’ve drifted. You’ve even begun to wonder if forgiveness, purpose, and hope are possible anymore. If that’s you today, be sure to read David’s next line.
I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
Poor and needy, but thought of and immeasurably loved. That’s me. That’s you. Your Creator hasn’t given up on you. He knows exactly where you are and he is willing to be your help and deliverer. Just listen to the way Psalm 40 begins.
I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
Marvel with me at the fact that the Creator of the universe heard the cry of an ordinary human being and inclined himself. God “bent toward” David. There were far too many times as they were growing up that my girls tried to get my attention and I was “disinclined” to focus on them entirely. You know what that’s like, don’t you? I’m busy. Preoccupied. I’ve got a deadline. Sometimes, we fail to give the people we love the most the attention they deserve. But not God. How remarkable that our Father in heaven not only hears, not only cares, but willingly bends himself toward the cries of his children!
Maybe you needed to hear today that it’s okay to be poor and needy, as long as you don’t stay poor and needy, especially in light of what God is willing to do for you.
May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the LORD!” (40:16)
That’s our opportunity today. To seek him. To rejoice and be glad in him. To sing, to say to each other, and to go forth into the world spreading continually this message: “Great is the LORD!”
With him, brokenness can be mended. In him, wounds can be healed. Through him, the desperate are rescued. By him, the guilty are pardoned. Because the Lord has taken thought of me, I can come–just as I am, poor and needy–and have my feet set upon a rock (40:2). So can you.
Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
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. (Psa 40:4-5)
Happy Lord’s day.