March 19, 2021
Psalm 41
To the tune of “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna” C.M. D Sing it at seedbed.com/soundtrack
1 How bless-ed is the one who loves
the helpless and the weak;
The Lord delivers and protects
that one when troubles peak.
2 The Lord preserves and saves his life,
and blesses in the land,
He’ll not surrender him to foes,
but keep him in His hand.
3 The Lord sustains him when he’s ill,
and lifts him from his bed;
The Lord his illness takes away
by lifting up his head.
4 I said, “O Lord, have mercy on
a sinner steeped in wrong;
Heal me, O Lord, for I have sinned
against You all day long.”
5 My enemies about me say,
with malice, ill intent,
“When will he die? When will his name
both perish and be spent?”
6 For everyone speaks ill of me
and slanders in his heart;
Then they go out and spread their lies;
great evil they impart.
7 My enemies conspire and plot
and set their traps for me;
They whisper evil plans for me
as if I cannot see.
8 They say, “A vile disease has come
and struck him down to die;
His bed will be his earthly end,
right where he now does lie.”
9 Even my friend who shared my bread,
in whom I put my trust
has lifted up his heel ‘gainst me
and scattered me with dust.
10 But You, O Lord, have mercy now
and raise me up, I pray,
That I may rise and turn on them
and all their sins repay.
11 I know that You are pleased with me;
my foes they will not stand;
12 In my integrity hold me,
safe in Your righteous hand.
13 Praise be to God our cov’nant Lord,
the God of Israel,
Forever and forevermore.
Amen, Amen we’ll tell!
CONSIDER THIS
There’s an old saying that comes to mind in light of today’s song: “You will never know that God is all you need until you know he’s all you have.”
We might classify today’s song as a lament for the sick. The singer has come down with something pretty bad, but it’s actually worse than that. His enemies are gloating over his condition and seem to be circling above his hospital bed like vultures. Others of his detractors whisper slander, stoking the fires of the rumor mill. Even worse than that, one of the singer’s friends turns on him. And we are given the impression it isn’t one of his so-called friends. This is a close, personal friend, a trusted confidant who has defected and gone to the dark side. Note how the song phrases it:
Even my friend who shared my bread,
in whom I put my trust,
has lifted up his heel ’gainst me,
and scattered me with dust.
The image to hold in mind here is that of a rider being thrown from his most cherished horse, only to then be kicked in the face by the horse when he’s down.
There’s another image that comes to mind here:
Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
And yes, it gets worse still. This trusted friend had effectively turned Jesus over to the police. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, this bread-sharing buddy betrayed him with a kiss. And that’s probably about the worst of it. Truth be told, this single act of treachery probably hurt him more than all the torture of Friday ever did.
As these days of Lent process us to Jerusalem, the way of lament keeps taking us further and further into descent. And yes, bad as this present situation is, it will get worse before it gets better. But our great worship leader, Jesus, shows us what it looks like to sing our way through.
He is going to take us to the place where it might be said, “You will never know that God is all you need until you know he’s all you have.”
That’s when we will know what it really means to sing. Practice now. (John 13:26)
Ask Yourself. Share with Another.
Do you have a story of betrayal? Did it come at the hands of a friend? Have you forgiven them? Maybe it’s because you haven’t lamented the situation before God. This kind of thing can really handicap the soul. Is it time to break free?
For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com