PSALM FORTY unifying prayer.

In Hebrews 12:1   Paul exhorts us ;-
Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus.

Life is sometimes a marathon. The psalmist also appreciates the challenges and prays
for his fellow runners.
Psalm 40:16
may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.

A very thoughtful prayer we can make in the midst of our own difficulties.
A prayer  for all of us who are running our race with perseverance.
A prayer which expresses care and unity.

PSALM FORTY The Will of God.

Psalm 40:8  New Revised Standard Version
I delight to do your will, O my God;
     your law is written within my heart.

The desire that springs from our heart is happily in tune with our personal disposition.
This is opposite to legalism or mandatory fulfillment of imposed obligations.
Our delight in the will of God is more than voluntary.
We are motivated most strongly to think and act in harmony with the will of God.
The voluntary sacrifice of our will to His is the most desired offering we can make.
In His  love for us, His will for us exceeds anything we can imagine .

People do not make profession of Holy Vows every day, but when you look at this verse;
it is personal,  one to one and addressed to our God.

"To do your will, O my God, is my delight
       and Your Law is written within my heart".

To pray this verse with conviction ...is strong...deep..and engaging...an encounter.

PSALM FORTY Testimony

It is the joy of a soul that knows how to hope
in the hour that would otherwise seem nothing but despair.
                                              Thomas Merton - On The Psalms

There is also gratefulness infused with joy when, we in our own situation, realize that in grace, faith and hope, we ourselves have been brought through from our own crisis to a place of safety and relief.

With the psalmist we can speak out the testimony of our deliverance

Psalm 40:2 NRSV   He drew me up from the desolate pit out of the miry bog.
                                 and set my feet upon a rock.
And if that is Christ speaking, then it would be all the more Christlike of us
to speak out the testimony of our deliverance and His..
God the Father brought our Lord Jesus back up from the miry bog.
(the death and decay of the grave)
He drew Him up from the desolate pit and put His foot upon a rock.

Our testimony is the testimony of Jesus Christ.
With the psalmist we can speak out the testimony of our deliverance
but our testimony is the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

PSALM FORTY Progression of prayer.

Psalm 40  New American Bible (1970)
2  I have waited, waited for the LORD
       and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
3  He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
       out of the mud of the swamp;
    He set me free upon a crag;
       he made firm my steps.
4 And he put a new song into my mouth,
       a hymn to our God.
   Many shall look on in awe
       and trust in the LORD.

PROGRESSION OF THE PRAYER OF FAITH AND TRUST
Patient waiting links the prayer of faith to the divine response. The song of thanksgiving leads on to public praise and testimony. The prayer of the redeemed has been heard and attended to by the Lord of the universe ! In Psalm 40 praise is identified with song and music. A new song, inspired by God, sounds spontaneous.  Spontaneous praise sounds charismatic.
The spirit filled praise and thanksgiving, and the personal sharing and public testimony caused many to look on in awe and trust in the Lord. A gracious and powerful work of The Holy Spirit with life changing grace for those who saw and heard was the personal experience of thousands of people during the time of charismatic renewal.

PSALM THIRTY-NINE HOPE

From The New English Bible Psalm 39:7
And now , Lord, what do I  wait for?
  My hope is in thee.

truly my hope is even in thee  (from the book of Common Prayer)

When we pray this verse we do so as a personal confession of faith,
speaking to the Lord
"My hope is in you"   AMEN.

From The New American Bible 1st edition  Psalm 39:18
Hear my prayer, O LORD,
                            to my cry give ear;
                            to my weeping be not deaf !
For I am but a wayfarer before you,
                            a pilgrim like all my forefathers.

NAB    a wayfarer                       a pilgrim
AV       a stranger                        a sojourner
NLT     a traveler passing through

When we pray as a sojourner, that is part of our disposition in prayer,
as a pilgrim passing through.
As sojourners we come and go. What traces will we leave of our faith?
....empty buildings or radiant communities of faith ?

PSALM THIRTY-NINE Lack of discernment

From Psalm 39:6 New Living Translation ( 1996 )
We are merely moving shadows,
       and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth for someone else to spend.

New Living Translation ( 2004 )  Second Edition.
We heap up wealth not knowing who will spend it 

There are many hard working Christians who pay their taxes, avoid excesses such as drink and gambling.
Christians who send their children to church based schools, (Catholic or Cof E in the UK) .
We go to churches which are attended by "People like us" which might be less attractive to people who are not like us, and which might be less than welcoming to "less desirable people".
Many churches are nor welcoming to people who do not think like us.
As far back as 150 years ago the Christian leaders of the day spent the money of their congregations on competitive architectural structures to separate themselves from "others" who were held in serious disregard.

PSALM THIRTY-NINE A more mature disposition

From The New English Bible  Psalm 39:4
Lord, let me know my end
          and the numbering of my days;
Tell me how short my life must be.

Life is too short for all that angst.
"the numbering of our days" puts things in context.
When we feel how fleeting life is,
our heart might be disposed to some humility
and our tongue would more likely be curbed.
Other priorities may alter too.

Let us pray with the psalmist for the numbering of our days.

PSALM THIRTY-NINE The Mind of Christ in Psalm 39

From The New American Bible (1970) Psalm 39:1-3

I said, " I will watch my ways, so as not to sin with my tongue;

I will set a curb on my mouth"

While the wicked man was before me, I kept dumb and silent;

I refrained from rash speech, But my grief was stirred up;                ( he was grieved )

hot grew my heart within me; in my thoughts, a fire blazed forth,

I spoke out with my tongue:

From The New Jerusalem Bible Psalm 39:4  (verse 2&3 in some bibles)

I stayed dumb, silent, speechless,

but the sinner's prosperity redoubled my torment.

my heart had been smouldering within me,

but at the thought of this it flared up

and the words came bursting out.

The word grief can mean; sorrow or distress or remorse.

When a ship comes to grief we call it a shipwreck

when the ship is lost ir destroyed.

Allowing resentment and aggression to build up in our own heart,

over things which have happened in the past,

or have been happening recently........brings harm to ourselves.

The wicked sail on oblivious .

PSALM THIRTY-EIGHT DISCERNMENT AND GRACE

The psalmist does not rebel in psalm thirty-eight, he thinks that he deserves his suffering.

" as a result of my sins"  in verse four             New Catholic Version  A Saint Joseph Edition

The evidence that he has inner hope is the complete abandonment to God which he expresses

I place my hope in you , O LORD;                 N.C.V. Psalm 38:16 .

When praying psalm 38, we need to examine our own life and conscience with penetrating
impartial honesty, to discern where we fall short of wholesome righteousness in everyday life.

O LORD , all my longing is to known to you
and my sighs are not hidden from you.            N.C.V. Psalm 38:10

We need the grace of Christ for the renewing of our mind

"Come quickly to my aid ,  O LORD my saviour"
                                                                            N.C.V. Psalm 38:23

PSALM THIRTY-EIGHT DISCERNMENT AND GRACE

They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries            Psalm 38:20  AV

The thought that anyone I know could render evil.....is shocking.
That anyone would render evil for good              .....is bad.

They reward me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul               Psalm  35:12  AV

To the spoiling of my soul  !   is this possible ?
Yes if people repay your kindness with evil (deception, injustice or mistreatment ),
you might be sad , disappointed or resentful....or even feel  undervalued or unloved !

Forewarned is forearmed .We need to be able to see these folk coming

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he (or so he becomes)             Proverbs 23:7  AMP

People get into the habit of living in the dynamic of deceit and self interest.
Be aware of the tell tale signs.

We also need discernment to recognize the effects on our own soul.
Any adverse reaction within ourselves needs to be replaced with inner peace.

Each Christian needs both discernment and grace in everyday life.....but;-

The face of the LORD is against them that do evil .                      Psalm 34:16 AV.

They may curse, but you will bless;                                                 Psalm 109:28  
                                                                                             Revised English Bible

PSALM THIRTY-SEVEN SPIRITUAL DIRECTION Verse 20, 23, 34, 37.

Psalm 37:20 New Living Translation
But the wicked will perish
The LORD'S enemies are like flowers in a field
they will disappear like smoke.

Christians have confidence
   No matter how "established" the enemies of Christ look,
   No matter how "attractive or acceptable" they try to make themselves appear,
   they will disappear like smoke.
   Those who are persecuting Christians to-day will disappear like smoke!

Psalm 37:23 New Living Translation.
The LORD directs the steps of the godly
He delights in every detail of their lives.

Verse 1-8 shows how to pray for this sort of direction.

Psalm 37:34 New Living Translation
Put your hope in the LORD
  Travel steadily along His path

We are to share our hopes with the LORD
and follow his direction and we have His promise;-

Psalm 37:37 New Living Translation
Look at those who are honest and good
for a wonderful future awaits those who live in peace. 

PSALM THIRTY-SEVEN SPIRITUAL DIRECTION Verse 1-8

The words of Psalm 37 do not address God because, in this kind of prayer, we listen to God, eager to respond to Him.
In Psalm 37 Our Creator delivers Fatherly words of wisdom, admonition,warning and promise.
He speaks these words right into our heart; Hence the importance of an eager open heart.
In this kind of prayer, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit helps us to identify how each word applies to our own life currently, how God's word of admonition, warning or promise speaks about our own attitudes and actions , our intentions and hopes.
It is Jesus who lives within our heart who enables and empowers our responses to this divine revelation about ourselves !
By the grace of Jesus himself we are able to respond eagerly......in the sight of God.
As our Counselor and Comforter gently makes the words of our Heavenly Father personal  to us,
it is the indwelling Christ who both enables and motivates us to;-
     Cease from anger and forsake wrath
     Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him
     Commit our way unto the LORD
     and trust in Him
     Delight in the LORD
     Trust in the LORD and do good
     Fret not for ourselves
     or envy evildoers !

PSALM THIRTY-SEVEN Verse 4

Psalm 37:4 N.I.V.

Delight yourself in the LORD

  and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Jesus said (Jn 4:34) "My food is to do the will of him who sent me"

The more we seek the more we find.

The more we seek his presence in prayer and scripture.......

The more we seek his presence in everyday life.....

The more we recognize his presence in the generous and sacrificial

actions of people around us.

The more we seek "His presence" in people

the more we find and recognize  Christlike behaviour

in people around us.,

PSALM THIRTY-SIX Verses 1 to 7

Psalm 36:1-4  N.L.T.
Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts,
They have no fear of God at all.
In their blind conceit they cannot see
how wicked they really are.
Everything they say is crooked and deceitful
They refuse to act wisely or do good.
They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.
Their actions are never good
They make no attempt to turn from evil.

Psalm 36 compares the attitudes and actions of
"the wicked" and of "the righteous",
In everyday life we can see that there are those around us
who have no fear of God at all, who are conceited and
cannot see how wicked they are. Their word cannot be trusted
and they are not motivated to do good for others.
They seem to have nothing in them which would cause them
to turn from their single minded self interest.
With discernment we can examine our own lives in prayer
and seek to grow in grace and in the love of the LORD.

Psalm 36:5-7
Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Your righteousness  is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths.
You care for people and animals alike, O LORD
How precious is your unfailing love O GOD !
All humanity finds shelter  in the shadow of your wings.

"The righteous" have deep resources of love
Their faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds
They stand for justice and peace.
The righteous care for people and animals alike.
Real Christians are known for their love.
True Charity is Christlike.
Christian charity serves the afflicted around the world.
Is this spirituality or common sense ?
It must be spirituality, otherwise the wicked
would "see" and change their ways.

PSALM THIRTY-FOUR Verse 5

Fix your gaze on Yahweh and your face will glow bright.                 N.J.B.

Look to him ,  and be radiant.                                                            N.R.S.V.

Keep your eyes on the LORD !  You will shine like the sun.           C.E.V.

Every face turned to him grows brighter.                                           JERUSALEM

N.I.V.  Hebrews 1:3   The Son is the radiance of God,s glory.

N.I.V. Ps 19:8    The commands of the Lord are radiant
                            giving light to the eyes.

Hebrews 5:27 talks about a radiant church:
which it is: it is filled with radiant people.

The person who lives dynamically his love for God,
who chooses to be led by the Spirit of Christ,
Whose speech and action exudes the love of Christ,
clothes himself with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience.
With Christian discernment we can see that ,
in our society, those who look to the Lord shine like the sun.

PSALM 37:5+6  NLT
Commit everything you do to the LORD,
Trust him and he will help you'
He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause 
will shine like the noonday sun.




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