Psalm 40; II Timothy 1:7 - "Best News Ever"

The Lord reminded me this morning that we have nothing to fear as we wait on Doc's appointment tomorrow. He reminded me that many are not in the same shoes as we are. We know He is in control. We know He is with us, no matter what. We have confidence that He will not leave us. He also woke me up with an urgency to read Psalm 40. This Psalm is one that reiterates the need for people to have such confidence in God. In verses one through five, we read about how He brings us out of the pits of hell when we call upon Him. He takes away the fear of dying as we know where we will spend eternity. David speaks of how it is important to never stop believing in Christ. We must never give up hope nor quit praying. But what about those who do not know Him? How do they get through tough times without Hope? Who do they pray to? They have no hope without the True Hope. That saddens me to the depth of my heart. The only way people will come to know Him is for believers to share Him. Verses nine and ten tell believers what they are to do...

I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You Yourself know.

I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.

We are to share His love with others. The best way to do that is to live in His presence so He can ooze out of us. Oh how I pray for people to experience His love through me. I pray they will see my peace in the midst of the storms of life and desire the same. In the New King James Version, Psalm 40 is entitled "Faith Persevering in Trial." Wow, God! I love how He takes me to exactly what I need to read. He knows what is going on and He knows what I need to be encouraged through it. David feared life because he knew he was not right with God. When we are right with God, we have nothing to fear. The other day when Doc shared that he wasn't afraid to die he had one say something to him about if you had a clear conscience that would make sense. This Psalm takes it further than a clear conscience. It takes us to the point that when we live a life of faith, we do not have to fear life nor death. I like what Matthew Henry writes about the last verses of Psalm 40:

"If Christ has triumphed over our spiritual enemies, then we, through him, shall be more than conquerors.This may encourage all that seek God and love his salvation, to rejoice in him, and to praise him. No griefs nor poverty can render those miserable who fear the Lord. Their God, and all that he has or does, is the ground of their joy. The prayer of faith can unlock his fulness, which is adapted to all their wants. The promises are sure, the moment of fulfilment hastens forward. He who once came in great humility, shall come again in glorious majesty."

God is our Joy. He is our Fullness. He is the One who holds today and holds our tomorrows. We have nothing to fear. All we have to do is live by faith that no matter what lies ahead He is with us and will direct us. He will give us His wisdom with decisions, His empowerment with physical strength, and His joy in times of darkness.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for blessing Doc yesterday with being able to preach. Father, his pain was so bad last night. I pray it will be less today. I pray You will empower him to go deeper in his faith through this trial. Father, You know the concerns on his heart. May You give him peace and wisdom. I pray for a cleansing in our spirits so we can be filled with more of You today. May You open our eyes to opportunities You put before us today. May those opportunities make a difference in people's lives who do not know You. Father, my heart breaks for Jim and his family with Sandie's death. May they have comfort in knowing she has been given a stroke-free body. May they feel the prayers of many being offered up for them to have strength through these tough days. Thank You Jesus for being Our Best News Ever! Amen.