The Morning Word: Psalm 40:11-15

Psalm 40:11-15 You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me. For evils beyond number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; they are more numerous than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; make haste, O Lord, to help me. Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who seek my life to destroy it; let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt. Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, "Aha, aha!"

The psalmist laments his perilous condition. He is beset with enemies who mock and seek him harm. He is aware of his own sin and how it has brought him so low that his courage has failed. But lest he becomes completely undone and loses all hope, he confesses that God has not forsaken him. He knows the compassion, lovingkindness, and truth of God. They preserve him; they sustain his spirit. The psalmist understands that it is his enemies that will be humiliated and dishonored ultimately before God.

Remember that it is the mercy of God that leads us to repentance after we sin (Rom. 2:4). God does not deal with His children according to what we deserve. God often shows us mercy and grace, blessing us in spite of ourselves. How should we respond to such a loving God? By opening His commandments and delighting ourselves completely in Him (Ps. 37:4).