Proclaiming His Love (Psalm 40:9-17)

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.

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What caught my eye today in this section of the Psalm is David’s insistence that he did not hide or conceal from people the good news about what God has done.  In verses 9-10, he claims three times that he did not seal his lips regarding the Lord’s saving help.

David’s joy over the Lord’s deliverance in the past not only led him to singing new songs; it led him to proclaiming to people what the Lord had done and speaking of His faithfulness.

So my thoughts went in a pretty simple direction today.  These verses are an encouragement to do likewise in my life.  Am I concealing the Lord’s goodness, or am I eager to proclaim it?  Am I willing to share with others what the Lord has done for me, giving the Lord credit for the blessings I have received?

My prayer today is that, like David, I would not seal my lips or conceal the Lord’s faithfulness, but rather speak and proclaim it.

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