Wed, Sep 16, 2009
My Redeemer
Psalm 40:2
2 He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings.
Once David has established "contact" with God by waiting patiently and expectantly on him, and God has turned his attention to David (although we should point out that God is never NOT aware of us!) we come to the next segment of David's worship.
What I'd like to suggest to you is that this next verse is not so much a testimony about David's condition as much as it is a statement about God's redemption. It would be easy to assume the focus is on David - after all, it is David relating a story of danger, fear and rescue; but if you just step back from the "story" for a moment I think you will agree that it's really all about God and his redemption of man. If we do not keep reminding ourselves of where our salvation comes from we will quickly rationalize away the value of our redemption. Our worship must constantly be drawn back to this redemptive construct.
I'd also like to suggest that this is a very appropriate and important element of worship - acknowledging God as redeemer. It is in the act of redemption that mankind finds its greatest reason to worship God. It is not self -preservation, but rather divine intervention that has bridged the gap between God and man. The state of our condition only reinforces the need for redemption. As we come to grips with the fact that all of us - every single one of us - is at the bottom of that same, slimy pit - we come to appreciate the miraculous beauty of God reaching down and pulling us out just at the right time. This is cause for worship. This is cause for celebration!
There are many facets to worship. One of the facets is acknowledging God for who He is. When we introduce an important speaker, we usually include some information about the person's identity. i.e., this is John Doe, founder of People for Christ International. John is a husband and father of three children. John has a Master's degree from UCLA. And so on. Once identity has been established, we normally move on to the real reason the person is standing before us - i.e., John Doe has written a book/John Doe has started an organization/John Doe has lectured around the world. . . and so on. The identity is confirmed and affirmed by the activity.
The activity of God that draws us to worship him is all wrapped up in one word: redemption. And that's where David begins this Psalm, by acknowledging the redemptive work of God in his own life. As we come together to worship we don't need flowery monologues and prosaic speeches. We can do without rhetoric and polemic. We simply need to acknowledge God and what He has done. I challenge you, when you come to worship, to begin right there, kneeling at the cross, looking up to the risen savior, and expressing your gratitude for the redemption that you have been so graciously given!
2 He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings.
Once David has established "contact" with God by waiting patiently and expectantly on him, and God has turned his attention to David (although we should point out that God is never NOT aware of us!) we come to the next segment of David's worship.
What I'd like to suggest to you is that this next verse is not so much a testimony about David's condition as much as it is a statement about God's redemption. It would be easy to assume the focus is on David - after all, it is David relating a story of danger, fear and rescue; but if you just step back from the "story" for a moment I think you will agree that it's really all about God and his redemption of man. If we do not keep reminding ourselves of where our salvation comes from we will quickly rationalize away the value of our redemption. Our worship must constantly be drawn back to this redemptive construct.
I'd also like to suggest that this is a very appropriate and important element of worship - acknowledging God as redeemer. It is in the act of redemption that mankind finds its greatest reason to worship God. It is not self -preservation, but rather divine intervention that has bridged the gap between God and man. The state of our condition only reinforces the need for redemption. As we come to grips with the fact that all of us - every single one of us - is at the bottom of that same, slimy pit - we come to appreciate the miraculous beauty of God reaching down and pulling us out just at the right time. This is cause for worship. This is cause for celebration!
There are many facets to worship. One of the facets is acknowledging God for who He is. When we introduce an important speaker, we usually include some information about the person's identity. i.e., this is John Doe, founder of People for Christ International. John is a husband and father of three children. John has a Master's degree from UCLA. And so on. Once identity has been established, we normally move on to the real reason the person is standing before us - i.e., John Doe has written a book/John Doe has started an organization/John Doe has lectured around the world. . . and so on. The identity is confirmed and affirmed by the activity.
The activity of God that draws us to worship him is all wrapped up in one word: redemption. And that's where David begins this Psalm, by acknowledging the redemptive work of God in his own life. As we come together to worship we don't need flowery monologues and prosaic speeches. We can do without rhetoric and polemic. We simply need to acknowledge God and what He has done. I challenge you, when you come to worship, to begin right there, kneeling at the cross, looking up to the risen savior, and expressing your gratitude for the redemption that you have been so graciously given!
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