But as for me, I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
you are my God, do not delay.
Psalm 40:17
The first two lines of this verse reveal a great deal about the Christian religion and its God.
The psalmist says he is both poor and needy. In the rest of the psalm he lays out his bleak situation. His enemies not only want to see his life in ruins, they want to take his life away (v. 13-14). "Troubles without number surround me;" the psalmist states before admitting "my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see" (v. 12). This is a desperate a man. His sins and his enemies have caught up with him, and he is crying out to God for help.
Yet, He asks God to "think of me." That God should bend His great and limitless mind to think about any man would be an immeasurable honor. That He would do so for a poor and needy man who is in dire circumstances because he has sinned against God is unthinkable. Yet, it is entirely in keeping with the God of the Bible. Scripture tells us again and again that God's eye is on the poor, the needy, and the humble. He leaves the ninety-nine in the open country to go search for the one lost sheep that has strayed (Luke 15:3-6). He is like a father who runs to meet the prodigal son who dares return (Luke 15:11-31). Jesus even tells us there's rejoicing in heaven over a sinner who repents (Luke 15:10).
What an amazing God we serve! How unthinkable that He should think of me! Even more so after I have rebelled against Him. Yet, if I humbly repent of my sin and approach Him through the blood of Jesus (Acts 4:12 & Hebrews 10:19-23), then I can be confident that I have not only entered into His thoughts but into His very presence as well.
Imagine how vastly different God would be if just this one thing about His character were changed. What if He were still all-knowing, all-powerful, eternal and everything else we know Him to be, but He simply wasn't personally concerned for needy, sinful people like you and me? I shudder to think of it. God deserves all our praise and all our gratitude. He has poured out amazing, unimaginable, unfathomable grace on us. To Him alone be the glory!
Father, we too are poor and needy. We confess our sins to You. We have gone our own way. Our sins surround us and our enemy waits to devour us. Forgive us, Father. Deliver us. Think of us in Your grace. Draw us back to yourself and teach us to walk in Your ways. Make us more like Jesus and give us the joy of spending our lives here extolling Your goodness and grace in the ears of men.
