Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "The more deeply we grow into the psalms and the more often we pray them as our own, the more simple and rich will our prayer become." Join us as we spend the next few weeks of the summer growing into the Psalms and enriching our conversations with God.
Psalm 40
Speakers
Josh Blount
Lead Pastor
Notes
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Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth— Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.
David communicates that the Lord bowed Himself down from the height of His majesty and gave attention to my request; He inclined His ear to me but more than just His ears; He inclined His heart and His hands.
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Psalm 40:4 Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Trust = chāsāh = active abandoning…
When we trust (chāsāh) in God, we are abandoning ourselves to His care and wisdom. This abandonment is a form of worship—it’s declaring God’s greatness and our dependency on Him alone.
Psalm 40:3 (MSG) He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, a praise-song to our God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery, abandoning themselves to God.
Abandon - To give up to the control or influence of another person or agent.
When you give up control to the influence of God, you get God’s influence in your life.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Luke 5:3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
Control by our power is an illusion
In order to trust, I have to know
Faith is trust in God and a refusal to panic, come what may. And it’s only possible to have that if you know God.
1. God Is Omnipotent (All-Powerful)
Omni = all.
Potence = powerful
Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
Genesis 22:5 “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
When you realize that the God who has all power is also the God who loves you infinitely, it changes everything. Yielding control to Him becomes not only possible but desirable.
2. God Is Omniscient (All-Knowledge)
Omni = all.
Science = knowledge
2 Samuel 15:25 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. 26 But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”
2 Samuel 15:32 Now it happened when David had come to the top of the mountain where he worshiped God…
3. God Is Omnispresent (All-Present)
Hebrews 13:5 For He Himself has said: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 He will not leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:8 He will not leave you nor forsake you.
Joshua 1:5 I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Joshua 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” 14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”
Genesis 22:2 Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to notice this: the land of Moriah.
Genesis 22:4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.