I think you tend to see what you are looking for. It may be a confirmation bias result but it may also be that you are more aware of things you seek. Seek God. It is honestly not always easy to keep your focus on God. That’s because you and I are naturally focused on ourselves and our problems. David was no different. I’m struggling recently with too much focus on myself. So I immediately related to David’s fears and complaints and in my first reading I ignored God and only saw David’s problems. That would be a very imbalanced view of Psalm 41. Further I have been so keen to find Jesus everywhere I missed God. There is no competition in the trinity. Let’s go back and look for God.
v.1 “The Lord rescues them”
v.2 “The Lord protects them”
“(The Lord) keeps them alive”
v.2 “(The Lord) gives them prosperity in the land”
“(The Lord) rescues them from their enemies.”
v.3 “The Lord nurses them”
“(The Lord) restores them “
v.4 “O Lord,” I prayed” (The Lord listens to prayer.)
“have mercy on me.” (The Lord is expected to have mercy.)
“Heal me” (The Lord is expected to heal.)
v.10 “Lord, have mercy on me. (The Lord is expected to have mercy.)
“Make me well again” (The Lord is expected to be able to heal.)
“so I can pay them back!” (The Lord gives justice.)
v.11 “you are pleased with me” (The Lord is pleased with his people.)
“you have not let my enemies triumph” (The Lord reigns.)
v.12 “You have preserved my life” (The Lord is sovereign over life.)
v.12 “you have brought me into your presence forever.” (The Lord is relational, present, & eternal)
v.13 “Praise the Lord” (The Lord is worthy of praise)
“the God of Israel” (The Lord is God of a people, relational & divine)
“who lives from everlasting to everlasting” (The Lord lives and the Lord is eternally alive.)
If you are like me, you might be so caught up in your problems that you miss the theology, the revelation of God about Himself. What is interesting is that in the midst of a terribly discouraging and depressing problem that isolates a person and makes them feel self-centred, afraid and alone, David found comfort and help in a relationship with a great God. This is the gospel. It is the good news in action. It is certainly part of the message Jesus came to proclaim. So I invite you to now go back and see what David knows about God that matches the character and person of Jesus. What do you know of Jesus that is in the character of the God David appeals to? I’m doing this myself and preaching to my own heart. So here I go back to look at the list of theology (revealed knowledge about God).
MAIN POINT: In your deepest problems God reveals who He is through your need. God is what you need.
David needed a rescuer and Jesus is a rescuer.
Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. Galatians 1:4
This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 1 Timothy 1:15
For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. Luke 19:10
David needed a healer and Jesus is a healer.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. Matthew 4:23 (Matthew 8:16-17, 10:7-8, 11:5, 15:30-31, Luke 9:11)
Conclusion: When we are in trouble we can often focus on ourselves and even project that onto the Bible as we read it and so interpret the Bible in a self-centred way. But if we take a step back, we will see even in the passages that stroke our fears and resonate with our problems most, we will find God telling us He is what we need. And then the step to understanding that Jesus has revealed Himself as that very God who comes to us in our need is an obvious one. Can you find where Jesus is each thing David expects God to be? Send me your list.
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| Handwritten Psalm 41 |
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