Psalms 40:11-12 (ESV)
As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.
Psalm 40 is a praise song to God for His greatness, goodness and faithfulness. David is the author, but we have no real correlation as to when it was written in his journey of life. It is less autobiographical in regard to his specific travels but certainly speaks to his spiritual travels. He is praising God throughout the song, especially the first ten verses. In the above passage, verse eleven continues the praise of God by proclaiming God’s great mercy and steadfast and how God’s faithfulness is the only thing sustaining David. David could have just left the song at that and ended the thought. But, he does not. He wants God to know why he so praises God’s mercy, love and faithfulness. Verse twelve states the reason:
“For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.”
No one will really value and praise God for his mercy until he/she finally admits their need for that mercy by confessing their incredible corruption of sin. Yes, this psalm is a praise song, but at the heart and soul of it is a confession by David. He praises God for His greatness because he admits is own weakness. We don’t praise God in our entirety until we are emptied of our self in humility. That is the heart of revival. The true praise for God cannot happen until we stop singing our own praise. David teaches us through this song that when we come to God to worship all of Him we have to first make sure we have emptied ourselves of all of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment