Psalm 40:17

Psalm 40:17

You are my help.

It’s hard to imagine isn’t it? Here is one of the greatest men who ever lived; his place in history is cemented forever and even if you are not Jewish or Christian you will probably know about King David. He was the young man who slayed a giant called Goliath when an army trembled with fear and foreboding. He was the man who killed a lion with his bare hands. He led armies and he reigned as a successful king. In human terms, such a man does not describe himself as poor and needy! Most successful statemen and leaders come across as anything but!

The difference with David is that everything that he was, that he did, and that he thought and said, was usually measured in the context of his relationship with the Lord God. He rarely thought highly of himself. When he did step out of line and he counted the fighting men in Israel to make himself feel good, the result was a spiritual disaster. God expects high standards of His leaders and taking undue pleasure in the size of your resources is not on His list of leadership attributes. So, this last verse of Psalm 40 is a window into the soul of David. He sees that he is impoverished without the Lord. He is a needy man unless God is with him. He is a vulnerable and short-lived ruler unless God is at his side. His enemies will triumph over him if God does not deliver him and help him.

How easy it is to be proud of our achievements and our wealth or possessions. How easy to be puffed up about how well we have done. How easily we descend into self-congratulation at our successes, our popularity or our accomplishments. Let’s be more like David, shall we? 

 

Lord, keep me dependent on You. Help me to have a proper view of myself and to realise how vulnerable I am. Throughout my life I will walk a tightrope stretched between success and failure, one slip and so much could go wrong. Without You to lead me I am nothing and I am finished. Keep my eyes on You and my feet on the right path. Think of me Lord and when I cry to You, come quickly to my aid and show me You will and Your way.  You are my God; I would rather rest in You than try to control my own destiny. I praise You for Your reassuring love and care. Thank You Lord. 

 

 

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