July 7, 2019 - God Acts When We Cry - Psalm 40:1-10

God Acts When We Cry

Psalm 40:1-10

Pentecost + 4 – July 7, 2019

“A New Song”

Psalm 40:5

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted….

Psalm 40:9-10

I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
¹⁰ I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.

The psalmist has been in a crisis

·     Trapped in a desolate pit, stuck in a miry bog – synonyms perhaps for Sheol/death, and the grave

·     “I waited patiently” – perhaps better translated – I waited and waited and waited for the Lord to show up

·     And this is a psalm of Thanksgiving – written after the crisis is over, so it doesn’t dwell too long in the struggle, because God inclined to the Psalmist and heard his cry – God lifted him up and set his feet on the rock

·     And so he goes on to talk about God’s wondrous deeds and thoughts toward God’s people – so many that they are more than he can count

·     And the writer can’t keep it in – he’s shared the good news of what God has done, the “glad news of deliverance in the great congregation!”

·     He hasn’t hidden God’s saving help, but instead has spoken of God’s faithfulness and salvation and steadfast love

·     He’s testified so that others may know what God has been up to, that God can be trusted!

Psalms have been moving us in this direction the past few weeks

·     From despair to trust to thanksgiving

·     We’ve all been in the Psalmist’s shoes

o  Stuck in a tough spot, waiting for rescue

§  Some dramatic – thinking about earthquakes in CA this week; explosion of a shopping center in FL this weekend; any kind of natural disaster

§  Others more ongoing and heart-wrenching – families going through major health issues or illnesses or addictions (you can follow the blogs or FB pages of people to read the updates of the ups and downs)

§  And some more average, day-to-day, minor in the grand scheme of things struggles

·     And if we’ve been paying attention, we’ve known God to show up, over and over

o  Again, sometimes in dramatic, mysterious fashion

o  And more often, in a more mundane, less obvious way –

§  People who helped us along the way of our trip – mainly with our luggage (lesson: travel light!) – but the man who helped us get our bags off the train at our stop in WA, the strangers who went out of their way to give us rides

§  Was not an emergency – we would have survived; but it was much easier and more pleasant to have people help along the way

§  People who were willing to watch kids while Andy is out of town and I needed to go to the hospital to be with a family

·     And sometimes it’s easy to give God the credit – to share these stories in the great congregation and beyond!

·     But sometimes, we don’t – like the 9 lepers who go back to life as usual instead of giving thanks

·     Or we just are so caught up in the annoyances and frustrations of everyday life that we miss the ways that God shows up to redirect us onto an easier path; the people who the Spirit moves to provide comfort or assistance or support

·     I wonder what blessings we don’t notice because we’re not looking or aren’t paying attention? Are we on the lookout for God in the small ways too?

·     Would we notice more if we were getting ready to proclaim and tell of them to others?

The Psalmist calls us to notice what God is doing in our lives and to give voice to our thanks, to share the glad news with others

·     It’s a way of living and deepening our faith, so that others may become more aware of what God is up to too

o  R’s dr. appointment and follow-up 2 question survey by text – with a request to then go review the doctor on line

o  Same thing with scheduling appointment for myself ;)

o  Online reviews – give great info for making decisions about products or service providers, etc.; so thankful that others share their positive (and negative) experiences

o  And our relationship with God is not a consumeristic thing, as if God relies on our word of mouth

o  But it is a blessing to God’s heart and the hearts of others when we share our thanks for how God has rescued us in times of trouble – and it helps others to know and believe that God can be trusted to show up for them too

o  And counting our blessings blesses us too – b/c as I’ve said before, It’s not happy people who are grateful, it’s grateful people who are happy

·     So go ahead, tell the glad news of deliverance in this great congregation!

o  Think of 1 thing God has done, big or small, recent or long ago – and tell somebody.

o  Song after communion, LBW:

Thank the Lord, and sing his praise –

tell everyone what he has done

Let everyone who seeks the Lord

rejoice and proudly bear his name.

He recalls his promises and leads his people forth with joy

With shouts of thanksgiving - Alleluia, alleluia!