Psalm 40                                                          A Sunday in the Park

 In 1776 the colonies which became the United States declared independence from England. The colonists said, “We don’t need you. We don’t want you lording over us. We will make our own laws and live by our own liberties and justice.” When you become a Christian you sign a declaration of dependence. You say, “I will follow your laws, God, and will live into your liberties and justice, Lord.”

 I love the psalms because they teach me that God is great and worthy of all praise, that God is the Sovereign, the One who rules the entire world with mercy and truth, that God is awesome and deserves our respect.

 I love the psalms because they help me see that even when God is Sovereign, life is hard. There are still valleys, even deep dark pits for those who love God. We are not immune to danger, but we have a hiding place, a safe place of shelter from the storms of life.

 I love the psalms because they teach me that it is okay as a believer to be a mess, a basketcase. Do you know when that word originated? WW1. A basket case was someone who had lost all four limbs and had to be carried. Later it came to mean someone in a such a desperate emotional state they cannot function. Even basket cases can function by the grace of God.

 There are psalms of praise, where God is sitting on the throne, and all is right with the world, from the psalmist perspective, and then there are psalms of lament, weeping and wailing when life is coming unglued. And then some psalms vacillate between crying out for help and praising. Psalm 40 is one of those.

Hear the psalmist:
 

 ^NRS Psalm 40:1 <To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.>  I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.  ² He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. ³ He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.

  ⁴ Happy are those who make the LORD their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.  ⁵ You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.

 ⁶ Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.  ⁷ Then I said, "Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.  ⁸ I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

 ⁹ I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.  ¹⁰ I have not hidden your saving help 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.

 ¹¹ Do not, O LORD, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever. ¹² For evils have encompassed me without number; my iniquities have overtaken me, until I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me.

 ¹³ Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me. ¹⁴ Let all those be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt.  ¹⁵ Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me,

"Aha, Aha!"

 ¹⁶ But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, "Great is the LORD!"  ¹⁷ As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.

 I have bought for you an inexpensive composition book so we can begin Journaling together. Will the children help me pass out the journals? While they are passing them out, let me begin by admitting that I have not kept a journal regularly since
I had Emily 19 years ago, though at a few pivotal moments I did. I am making a new commitment for myself and I hope you will come along with me in making this commitment. I am going to read a psalm every Sunday and then respond to it with my own conversation with God. Doing this will require that I carve out some space on Sundays. It will be easy for me to say that I am too tired or too busy, but I’m going to try not to let this slip. It will be part of my Sabbath-keeping. I take a nap every Sunday afternoon after lunch. After nap time, I will journal.

 Let’s get started. We’re going to walk through this together today, using Psalm 40. There’s a very good chance you will find it much easier to concentrate when you are alone. Notice that the psalmist sometimes talks directly to God and sometimes speaks about God. Likewise, we speak to God or about God with regard to our life experiences – the good experiences and the bad. We rehearse our faith in the context of real life.

 Read the first three verses on your insert. Write down in your journal where your life connects with those verses. Are you waiting patiently for the Lord? Are you in the pit? Have you come out of the fog to sit on a rock secure, where you can sing God’s praises?

 Read verses 4 & 5 – It says, “You have multiplied, O God, your wondrous deeds.” Write down some of the wondrous deeds of the Lord. For what are you thankful?

 Read verse 6-8 – Ask yourself, “Am I willing to serve the Lord?” Can you say with the psalmist “I delight to do your will.” Be honest with yourself. Perhaps in your journal it says, “I wish I wanted to do your will. I have broken your law.” Psalm 51 expresses grief over breaking God’s law.

 Verses 9 & 10 – The psalmist says, “I’m telling everyone about you, God. I have spoken of your faithfulness.” Ask yourself: Am I telling others about the goodness of God or have I concealed God’s steadfast love and faithfulness by never speaking of it?

 Verses 11-13 – A prayer for protection, mercy deliverance. Help me God. Write down your prayer for help. With what do you need God’s help. Ask God. Write it down.

 Verses 14 & 15 – The psalms are full of these kind of statements. Give the jerks who try to hurt me what they deserve, God. Maybe it sounds unkind, but perhaps it is better to get our anger expressed to God than to respond angrily to the people who hurt us. Maybe it is better to say it to God than to speak unkindly about others to our friends and damage the impression of the other person. Where’s your frustration today? Is it your in-laws? siblings? Is it the insurance companies? The big corporate powers? The lobby-driven lawmakers. The boss who drives you crazy? Express it to God.

 Finally, verses 16 & 17 – The psalmist swings back to the positive. May those who seek God say, “Great is the Lord.” And God, please listen to me. I’m pretty needy right now.  Here’s my prayer: Write down a simple and humble prayer of need.

 So in this process of Journaling, you are acknowledging and reflecting on God’s involvement in your life. You are writing some honest prayers to God. In essence prayer is really just two basic types. Thank you, Lord. Help, Lord. Of course, help can be help for me (supplication), help for others (intercession), help us out of the mess of our sin (confession), in other words, “I’m sorry, Lord.” Thank you, Lord can be divided into praise for who God is and thank you for blessings. But bottom line: Thank you and Help. If you need to pray and don’t know what to say, remember -- thank you and help.

 This psalm is combines thank you and help. You can depend on God. MLK, whose life was shaped by the Christian Gospel said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

 Read the psalms and add your prayers in response. No matter how messed up your life feels....The Lord is your Shepherd. The Lord is your King. The Lord is your light and your salvation. The Lord is your shield – no matter how anxious you are about things out of your control. The Lord is your refuge. The Lord is your strength. The Lord is your judge. The Lord is your Sovereign, your deliverer, your stronghold, your rock, your trust. No matter how discouraged and lonely you are....the Lord is your hope, your help, your redeemer, your guide your dwelling place. The Lord is your might, your fortress, your tower of refuge and strength. On good days and on bad nights . . . the Lord is your comfort, your sun, your provider, your shelter, your maker, your avenger, your foundation, your healer. The Lord is full of steadfast love and faithfulness. Sign your declaration of dependence today. And declare your dependence every day, especially every Sunday as you pour your heart out to God and lean on the everlasting arms of love.

 Let us pray: Lord you are our hope and our strength, you are our rest, our comfort, and assurance. We thank you for providing for all our needs. We praise you for your steadfast love which holds us tight. We pray for your transforming power in our lives right now. For you are our hiding place. You always fill our hearts with songs of deliverance. Whenever we are afraid, we will trust in you.