August 12 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 40:11–17

Devotional

In the midst of all the bitterness of life, the poet of Psalm 40 may say: “Yet the Lord thinketh upon me.” Although he is poor and needy, he knows that if the Lord remembers him in grace, all is well. The author anticipates meeting the God of heaven who has eternal thoughts of peace about him. When we know that God observes our misery, hears our cries, and knows about our struggles, then we are blessed even though we are in the midst of troubles. Even the worst parts of our lives are well, for they are all under His all-observing eye.

The poet does not say, “Yet I think about the Lord.” Certainly he will do this too, but the beauty is that the Lord thinks about him. That is most important, for then everything lies firm and sure in God. Neither does the poet say, “The Lord thinketh upon me, yet I am poor and needy.” That would be a complaint against God, as if God would not be stronger than his misery. No, we find a blessed contrast because the poet has enough in God in spite of the roaring waves. The joy that comes from knowing that God thinks about him transcends all sorrow. No sickness, no suffering, no hardship, and no death can remove this blessed contrast, as long as the Lord thinks about him. The psalmist, therefore, immediately follows this confession by saying, “Make no tarrying, O my God.” With this confession he has become at the same time a dependent person. He does not have this blessed contrast in his pocket as one carries a wallet with him. His need of God is precisely his most urgent need in life.

Do you belong to the miserable ones? Are you ill, or lonely, or heavy laden, or weary, or are you comfortless? Would you not desire such a blessed contrast in your life? Try to imagine a life of contrast. In this blessed contrast there is a ray of light upon the awful miseries of our life caused by our sin.

Remember what the poet says about himself. He does not say, “I have poverty and need,” but, “I am poor and needy.” That is how we all are. Friend, you are poor and needy. Why are you trying to cast off your poverty and need? It would be better to realize that we are born like this because of our sin. We ourselves have mixed wormwood into the cup of our lives. When you realize this, you will bow, bend, sigh, and crawl before God. And it is just in such a posture that this blessed contrast is found. Then you may say, “Yet the Lord thinketh upon me.” Never has the Lord forgotten pitiful sinners. He thinks about them as if He only had one child in the whole earth. Consequently, you say, “Make no tarrying, O my God.”

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.