Second Sunday after the Ephipany 1-18-26

Invocation-

Sing-

Scripture- Psalms 40:1-11; 1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. 4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. 5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. 6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand— you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. 7 Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: 8 I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” 9 I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. 10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. 11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.

There seems to be a lot of discussion about these verses and disagreement of whether or not the writer was patient or impatient. But what that tells me is human nature and feelings were involved! When we place ourselves in the same position of being in a “pit” or “mired”, how do we feel? Patience is a virtue, not a vices. So of course we, as the writer did, intends patience but feels impatient. Possibly you feel the same as I about those moments in lift that can be so stressful. Le me put it into perspective using a person example from very recently.

How have I dealt with this land transfer and satisfying the attorney’s request from the planning office and then scrambling to determine what we need and to convince the health department to grant us that request? My fears were realized in the process that somehow the Health Department might condemn our septic system and refuse permission to install a new one. I was looking for firm footing, for God to put my feet upon a rock and release me from a miry bog- all self-inflicted. I attempted to demonstrate my patience before you. I tried to be calm in your presence, and in God’s presence. Yet deep down, I always understood that disaster was waiting to pounce as it usually does when you attempt to change something. Especially when it is old as this church and has an unlicensed septic system right next to a creek!

Enough of that! You, I, we, all of us have experienced many more harrowing episodes that had much greater consequential effects on our lives! This was close to nothing, however, it had its effects on me and you! So what about this writer of Psalm 40 and what about those other events that cause us to feel so deep in a pit that we are looking up at the light? “This Psalm does not conceal the tension experienced by the one in danger, nor does it suggest that delivery from harm is a one time event”, (Feasting On the Word, pg. 240). Rather our daily trials and victories (or deliverances), come in cycles. That is what most closely represents our daily living. But you have to remember who it is that gives us our victories, it’s only through God that we are successful. He has a phenomenal record of delive3rance for thos who call upon him. David knew that, Jesus preached that. Scripture has it throughout. Simply read the other Psalms, that books of Moses and the book of Judges. Time after time, God is celebrated as the one who listens to the cries of his people and responds to their needs and situations, In Joel its says “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”. Jesus said, “ask, seek and knock”, “ask anything in My name, I will do it”, “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved”.

What do we do with all that? Is this how we live daily? Do I, do you? I hope so! The Psalmist here, this was no ordinary day to day problem. This was a moment in time that affected a King! What rattles our president? I haven’t seen anything yet that has done that. But don’t get me wrong I’m not putting these two in the same circle or making a comparison, just a point. This person was having a bad time, nothing like my inconsequential waiting game with the health department.

What is our response to God’s deliverance? Does it look anything like verses 3-5? 3 “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. 4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. 5 Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare”. What about the conclusion the writer makes in verses 6-11? David claims that wholehearted submission to God’s law is superior to sacrifice. 6 “You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand— you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. 7 Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the scriptures: 8 I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” 9 I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O LORD, well know. 10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. 11 LORD, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Ps 40:6–11. Let me examine this- a moment or two of sheer terror in his life led to rejoicing in God’s deliverance, introspective thinking about his response to and relationship with his creator, and his willing obedience to God, and finally his public testimonial about God’s faithfulness and love for people! Afterwards- a prayer to remain in God’s care! Hallelujah!

Conclusion- This Psalm is attributed to the righteous King David but the way it begins suggests that some thing has gotten him down. “out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire”. I don’t intend to discuss what those things specific were, but if you read Psalm 38 and Psalm 39 they may give you some indication. But, have you ever been there? I have. This mighty and revered King, as great a man as he was, was still just another person who had the same troubles as everyone else, though his may have been greater due to the responsibilities he carried. One thing of note here are the things that are mentioned. I mean David, waited for whom? For the Lord’s help. What did God do then, he turned to David and heard or listened to his crying. Then after, assuming God assessed Davids condition, he helped him by lifting him up and repositioning David so that he could walk steadily once more. David was rewarded when God stopped, bent down and attentively listened to his cries for help. Trapped in a slimy pit of mud and mire, escape was impossible, for no solid footing could be found. Isn’t that something we have all experienced? I mean getting ourselves into a mess and then waiting to be restored. But what if David had not waited on the Lord? And what would that look like for him to not wait? Well, what does it take to wait? Just what it says David did, he demonstrated patience. This was a fruitful waiting, patiently, rather than simply waiting. Patience is listed as being part of the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. That is why I said the righteous King David when I first began. Not because he was perfect but because he exemplified the values that God wanted to be expressed by humans. Had the king decided to do things on his own it’s possible that he would have not experienced the same outcome. According to the king he was given a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to God. That sounds joyous to me, the best possible outcome because he had waited on God. I already mentioned his patience, but another way of waiting is through prayer and fasting. When you pray you are seeking connection with God, and in those moments it is easier to be calm and quiet and to hear. I trust what I hear when I am still and peaceful as opposed to the many different things that can be heard when someone is angry or in the grip of rage. Don’t trust yourself if that’s where you are. But find solitude, quiet and calmness, then approach God’s throne room with an open and contrite heart to wait and hear or experience what God desires and directs. When we go about it in that way, I believe we can also have Davids result, we will see what he has done and be amazed. We will put our trust in the Lord. Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord! That a great deliverance had been experienced by David is seen through an examination of the opening verses: (1) he prayed a long time before the deliverance came: I waited patiently; (2) the place from which he was delivered was a horrible pit and miry clay; (3) the rescue was so remarkable that many would see it, and fear, and … trust in God. W. Ralph Thompson, “The Book of Psalms, 1–72,” in Job-Song of Solomon, vol. 2, The Wesleyan Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), 263–264.