Psalm 40
June 4, 2023
preached by Pastor Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“When one is a stranger to oneself then one is estranged from others, too. If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others.”

~ Anne Lindbergh (1906-2001), American author and aviator

“Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God’s majesty.”

“Without knowledge of self, there is no knowledge of God. Our wisdom, insofar as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”

~ John Calvin (1509-1564), French pastor & protestant reformer

“The church is the primary arena in which we learn that glory does not consist in what we do for God but in what God does for us.”

~ Eugene Peterson (1932-2018), American minister and author

“Community is the fruit born through shared brokenness.”

~ Henri J.M. Nouwen (1932-1996), Dutch Catholic priest

“If the most powerful person, the power behind the universe loves you with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind, and you can see that on the cross, why are you afraid?”

~ Timothy Keller (1950-2023), American pastor & author

“Being unafraid to be publicly weak was true of King David. The end of Psalm 40 has always resonated deeply with me. This psalm contains a great deal of fruitful ministry and joyful worship, yet David summarizes himself this way: ‘As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.’ David’s strength grew out of his comprehensive sense of weakness, and his confidence in God’s strength.”

“My deepest hope for you is that in both your personal life and your ministry to others, you would be unafraid to be publicly weak as the doorway to the strength of God Himself.”

~ David Powilson (1949–2019), American counselor and author

Sermon Passage

Psalm 40 (NIV)

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord
and put their trust in him.

⁴ Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
⁵ Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
they would be too many to declare.

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll
⁸ I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”

⁹ I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, Lord,
as you know.
¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
from the great assembly.

¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;
may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹² For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
¹³ Be pleased to save me, Lord;
come quickly, Lord, to help me.

¹⁴ May all who want to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
¹⁶ But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”

¹⁷ But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay.