NOTE: This post is an excerpt from my book, How to Pray Like David: A Bible Study on Psalms 1-41, available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.
I have a confession to make: I’m addicted to the Psalms.
I love reading them, meditating on them, and praying my way through them.
David wrote about half of them, so it’s no wonder that my list of “favorite psalms” includes many that are attributed to him. Such is the case with Psalm 40. This ancient hymn is definitely in my Top 10 Bible passages.
As in many of David’s hymns, God is the focus. This is David’s testimony of the work of God in his life. The breathtaking beauty of these verses is found in his heartfelt description of what God has done for him.
Ironically, however, David begins Psalm 40 with a statement about himself: “I waited patiently for the LORD” (Psalm 40:1a). But this simply sets the stage for David to shine the spotlight on the One who rescued him. Note how verses 1b – 3a is a string of sentences in which God is the subject of the verb:
He turned to me
He heard my cry
He lifted me out of the slimy pit
He set my feet on a rock
He gave me a firm place to stand
He put a new song in my mouth
David wants the world to know about the saving power of God. Is this not a compelling example of what we, too, should be talking about? Think about your conversations during a typical week. How often do you speak about God’s supernatural and gracious activity on your behalf? Over the past few days, you’ve undoubtedly talked with many people about many things. How many of those conversations were about Jesus? How many times did you mention his name?
I must make another confession: when I subject myself to this self-analysis, I realize how little I speak about my Savior to those I encounter in a typical day. I discuss politics and sports and the weather, but not much is said about the One in whom I live and move and have my being. Oh, God, save me from such a self-absorbed life!
As evangelicals, we are taught to “share our testimony.” And this is a good thing. The typical format goes something like this: what my life was like before I became a Christian; how I became a Christian; how my life has changed after I became a Christian. I applaud this approach to telling others “my story” – as long as the focus of “my story” is God, not me.
With Psalm 40:1-3 in mind, we must be sure to communicate what God has done for, in, and through us. “My story” should be told in such a way that it communicates “God’s story.” We must fill our testimony with sentences in which God is the subject of the verb. I must follow David’s example and let people know how God has lifted me out of the slimy pit of sin and how God gave me a firm place to stand by setting my feet on the Rock of Jesus Christ. God put a new song in my mouth – hymns about him and his salvation from the mud and mire of a meaningless existence in this life and a Christless eternity in the next.
This is how David talked about his God. May God help us to do the same, so that “Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD” (Psalm 40:3b).
Psalm 40: Questions for Further Study, Reflection and Discussion
1. Think of a time when God heard your cry, lifted you out of the slimy pit, and set your feet on The Rock. Please, go ahead and “speak of God’s faithfulness and salvation.” Take this opportunity to write out the “new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” And be sure to share it with others!
2. What does David expect to happen as a result of his testimony, and why is that significant? (v. 3b)
3. Who do you know who needs to hear your testimony of God’s goodness to you? Who do you know who needs to “see and fear and put their trust in the Lord”? How can others pray with you in this regard?
4. In verses 9 and 10, David reflects on several of God’s attributes. What are they?
5. Which of these divine attributes is especially meaningful to you today? And why?
6. Even though David has told us what God has already done for him (v. 1-3, v. 5), what does he pray for in verses 11-17? Make a list of David’s prayer requests. (There are many!)
7. What is prompting David to cry out to God for help? (v. 12, 14, 17)
8. What is the relationship between God’s past deliverance and David’s prayers for future deliverance?
9. Which of David’s prayer requests would you like to receive prayer for? (Pick one or two, and please be specific.)
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