Blog

“Lord, do not withhold Your compassion from me; Your constant love and truth will always guard me. For troubles without number have surrounded me; my sins have overtaken me; I am unable to see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my courage leaves me” (Psalm 40:11-12 HCSB).

This psalm begins with God delivering the psalmist from great peril. The psalmist responds by proclaiming God’s acts of salvation in a manner intended to lead others to see what God has done, so they will fear and trust Him. The first 10 verses repeat his psalm of thanksgiving, but in verse 11, he turns to a lament that ends the psalm.

The juxtaposition of thanksgiving and lament provides an abrupt shock, but the repetition of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness ties the two parts of the psalm together.

And in this, the psalmist conveys an important point: God’s deliverance, which elicits our praise and thanksgiving, prepares us for when we are overcome with lamentation due to circumstances—even circumstances we create—to continue to trust His faithfulness and steadfast love.

Bad things happen. Life will overwhelm us. We will sin, and our sin will separate us from God. The feelings, distress, and loneliness we feel in these moments are real. They are not manufactured. But we cannot forget God’s acts of deliverance in the past. We cannot forget how we waited for Him, and He listened to our cry.

Lament does not mean a lack of faith; the Bible contains many examples of people crying out to God. In fact, in some cases laments provide the clearest expression of trust. It is possible to maintain a thankful and grateful heart while also expressing our most honest thoughts and feelings to God. He can handle our raw prayers.

The psalmist recognizes that his circumstances have surrounded him and his sins have overtaken him, yet he calls upon God to let His mercy, faithfulness, and steadfast love keep him safe.

We can find ourselves in despair, but if we remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness, mercy, and steadfast love, our psalms of thanksgiving will return to us.

But if we completely give in to the despair and turn away from God in those difficult moments, we forget His past deliverance that caused us to give Him thanks. 

PRAYER

Father, no matter where we are today, may we find comfort and strength in your unwavering love, mercy, and faithfulness. Amen.