Scripture Reference;
Psalm 40KJV
1I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.2He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.3And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.4Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.5Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.6Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.7Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.9I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.10I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.11Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.12For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.13Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.14Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.15Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.16Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.17But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
A few months ago I began to have panic attacks that were quite debilitating. I remember desiring to be able to function. I often felt afraid to even drive a mile from home, and it was hard to study the Bible, but I wanted to so badly. I remember coming across this psalm and finding some comfort in it, so I decided to meditate on portions of it and share the thoughts that came to me in my posts. If you go back and start with “Part 1 (“https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/groanings-part-5a-the-lord-inclines/ ) and take note of the dates on each post, you will notice that there have been pauses. I am much better now, and am functioning for the most part normally. I still have occasional attacks but they are much milder and easier to manage, so once again, after another long break from my study of Psalm 40 I am continuing now.
11Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.2For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.13Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.14Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.15Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha. Psalm 40:11-15 KJV
Today as I read this psalm again I noticed that verses 1-5 were written in the present tense and verses 6-15 changes to past tense and although it looks like it switches back to present tense, David is still looking back in time to another day and is quoting what He said on the day he cried for help…so today as I look at verses 11-15 I can read that passage with confidence that the Lord both heard and rescued David out of that awful state, and verses 1-4 confirm that fact.
I too can both sympathize and rejoice with David as I read not just verses 11-15, but also the entire Psalm, because the Lord rescued and has promised to continue rescuing me! Innumerable evils do surround the Lord’s children, and their iniquities (evil:– fault, mischief) can be more than the hairs on their heads, can overcome them to the point that they lose heart, but the Lord’s goodness and mercy is so much greater, and they can cry out for deliverance, and their cries will not be in vain! Those foes shall be defeated!
Let’s consider another situation. The crucifixion of Jesus was close at hand, and he knew that his disciples would be scattered and experience fear and sorrow before He rose from the dead and showed himself to them. Below is a conversation He had with them.
25These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.26At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:27For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.28I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.29His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.30Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.31Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?32Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.33These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.John 16:25-33 KJV
He also taught them to pray “The Lord’s Prayer”. Here it is below:
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.11Give us this day our daily bread.12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13 KJV
Now look at verse 13 again:
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
We are told to pray to be delivered from evil, and we are also told to have confidence in Jesus; that He has and will forever have the power to deliver us from evil. He knows what is truly evil and He will deliver us from it if we have prayed that prayer. What a wonderful thing to ponder!
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Debbie said,
November 22, 2010 at 1:04 am
Thank you for the confidence in Him you share. I love how you ponder His word and study further, seeking Him, for those truths and promises. So thankful and awed that He does deliver us from evil, that we are forever in His care. I would want for you to not have ever experienced what you have . . .that no one would suffer. But I’m learning to trust Him, that He knows and is truly working for our good. love you! deb
Debbie said,
November 22, 2010 at 1:15 am
Back again! After commenting, I read this post – it just seemed to go with yours! Also, I realized that I didn’t have you on my blog roll. Will fix that! God bless you!
How Firm A Foundation
By John Keith 1787
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said—
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
“The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”
Moore to ponder said,
November 22, 2010 at 3:41 am
Thank you so much for the words of encouragement. and that beautiful song! I love that song so much.
Love,
Theresa
bendedspoon said,
November 23, 2010 at 10:48 am
I am in awe on how well you understand God’s Word
for noticing the details such as the verb tense
and yes for that insight that you shared with me
about evil within and without.
I often ask when will I feel truly close to God
and I see in you and others where I am not.
🙂
Moore to ponder said,
November 23, 2010 at 4:12 pm
“I often ask when will I feel truly close to God and I see in you and others where I am not.” I ask that very same question probably every day. I ask “Why can’t I be more like Deb, more like the little old lady I saw in town that gave me that big hug…Why can’t I be more like Rea?”
Oh Rea, we, like King David, have poor and needy bodies, minds, have hearts that can be faint. We all struggle daily with “feelings” of being very far from God. But we are not. Do you realize that when you feel like that you are actually in a state of “blessedness”? Whenever we are very aware that we are lacking something, it means we are hungering and thirsting for it. Look at what Jesus said:
” 1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:1-12
Look at the song Deb shared above. Usually hymns are songs sung by us to God, but this one is based on a Bible passage from Isaiah. It is God’s love song to us.
When it comes to natural godliness we will always come up lacking, because we are sinners, but Rea, do not forget that you are very precious in God’s sight, and that “New Creature” that was born when we first believed the gospel and received salvation is fearfully and wonderfully made…that Spirit God put in us is exceedingly wonderful and precious (Psalm 139). “You” are a woman after God’s own heart!…you have been after mine ever since the first time you posted. 🙂
“sigh”…my replies to comments can sometimes run so long; sometimes even longer than my blog entry. I guess that is just the way God made me.
Love,
Theresa
bendedspoon said,
November 23, 2010 at 4:51 pm
You made me cry — again!
Why is that I am such a cry baby lately? But then it’s actually good because it’s a good cry. Each time I read the Godly thoughts that you all share I feel reassured and loved by God. Each time I have concerns about my faith you have the right scriptures for me. And yes, it’s a beautiful song, “Fear not, I am with thee..”
I actually want to print and frame this post/comments to remind me of God’s love through you.Thank you so much Theresa. You can actually love somebody far away! And here’s my love too for you and Deb!
🙂
Debbie said,
November 23, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Oh what a beautiful comment! I’m blown away by how He works in you and needed to hear this too! So glad God made you just as you are!
love, deb
Moore to ponder said,
November 23, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Thank you Rea! I went back and changed my above comment just a little…I was afraid that I described the Spirit wrong, so please read it again. It worries me when I say things about God and mess up with my words.
Love, Theresa
Moore to ponder said,
November 23, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Deb,
“How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him,
Who brings good news, good news;
Announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness.
Our God Reigns! Our God Reigns! ”
Been reading your blog again and all of the wonderful comments…
Always seasoned with love and grace, desiring good things (lettuce and carrots) for all. 🙂
http://iftodaywehear.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/the-art-of-gleaning/
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
You have taught me some things…both in your lines and between them.
God bless you Deb, Woman of Faith, Child of God!
Love,
Theresa
Moore to ponder said,
December 14, 2013 at 9:06 pm
Reblogged this on Moore to Ponder and commented:
“… Innumerable evils do surround the Lord’s children, and their iniquities (evil:– fault, mischief) can be more than the hairs on their heads, can overcome them to the point that they lose heart, but the Lord’s goodness and mercy is so much greater,… “