Psalm 40
Thinking about God's thoughtfulness
Psalm 40:17 says, "As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!"
In the beginning of this verse, David takes responsibility for his poorness and his neediness. He is humbling himself. I consider myself to be a very privileged person in life, but when we look at ourselves and compare ourselves to God, each and every one of us is poor and needy. We all have something that we need, and David recognizes that God thinks of him and about his needs. Oftentimes when we tell someone they are a thoughtful person, that comes from recognizing someone's needs and then fulfilling them. I think of someone being thoughtful if they bring you your favorite flowers, because they thought about what you like, your wellbeing, and then they fulfilled a want that you have. God is the epitome of thoughtfulness because He provides for each and every one of us on a daily basis. Nothing that we have is our own and everything that we have is His.
It is difficult to grasp that God thinks about us as individuals, because we cannot do that. Oftentimes we can barely think about other people because we are going through the busyness of life. But God exists outside of our human limitations, and so He can think about each one of us individually and fulfill our needs, sometimes in mysterious ways that go beyond our understanding. This is help and deliverance, moving us from a place of iniquity into a place of righteousness. Through Jesus He gives us the gifts of salvation, peace, and forgiveness, delivering us to a better place.
David begins this Psalm by saying he waited patiently for the Lord, and closes it by saying do not delay, oh my God. He recognizes how thoughtful and helpful the Lord is and how much he needs Him for everything. Thinking about God's thoughtfulness is a little incomprehensible, because His thoughtfulness is so beyond our own. As a practice to grow in godly character, I want to practice my own thoughtfulness and my humility in recognizing God's role in helping and delivering.
