Praise & Lament

Psalm 40:10-11

I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. 
As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

...............

As many lament psalms do, Psalm 40 follows a basic structure. Cries for help are interwoven with declarations of God's character and promises. It is not simply a lament followed by an affirmation of faith, nor the reverse, an affirmation followed by a plea for deliverance. These two realities go back and forth in the life of the believer. Sometimes in the same breath. We make bold professions of faith in the real power and goodness of our Savior. And at the same time, we wrestle with very real circumstances that shake this faith and make us desperate.

On the one hand, the psalmist is confident in the mercy and kindness of God. More than once he points to the thoughts of God toward us and the deeds of God toward us. It is astounding that God thinks of us! He cares for our daily needs. He has shown himself kind in a multitude of ways, if we would but slow down and count them.

Food on the table
Money in the bank account
Clothes on our backs
A job to work each day
Friends to share laughter with
Family to share burdens and joys
Breath in our lungs

Each day becomes a precious gift as we remember that life is so fragile and yet filled with incredible potential.

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.(40:5)

And we are called upon to proclaim the many blessings and signs of God's kindness so that others will know. This psalm is calling us to sing loud and sing proud! And it is an example for us to follow as we encourage others in our lives to do the same. May we count our blessings and call others to do the same. It may be the very thing they need to remember that day.

On the other hand, the psalmist is clearly walking through hard circumstances. The call to boldness co-mingles with cries for help! In fact, it is the very goodness and promise of God that grounds our request for help. The reminder of his character bolsters and amplifies our prayers for assistance because this sharpens our focus on the One to whom we pray.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me!
O Lord, make haste to help me!(40:13)

Let us be deeply encouraged that our prayers do not rise into the air in vain. There is a mighty and gracious God listening, giving thought to our situation and working it out for good. As we cry those tears, he is catching them one by one. And the pathway to our deliverance is to integrate praise into our prayers for help. As we proclaim his past deliverance, his present character, and his future promised care, we find new faith swelling in our hearts.

One last thought: as you read the Psalms, notice the punctuation marks. The pauses. The question marks. And in this case, the exclamation marks! Even in times of trial, may our faith shine and our words exclaim something clear and true. God has not changed and his promised salvation is but moments away.