For the choir director.

A psalm of David.

I waited patiently for the Lord, 

and he turned to me 

and heard my cry for help.

Psalms 40:1 CSB

This is a song. Have you ever written a song? A poem? 

Songs & poems are not step-by-step accounts of events, they're usually attempts to capture our experiences, our emotions, our hopes, our responses, our hearts on things. 

If you read the lyrics of a song it can be OK, but when you hear it sung it can get to us in a whole different way. 

With the Psalms, with this Psalm, we've only got the lyrics (& an English translation at that).

In this first verse David is crying out for help. 

Can you relate?

Crying out to God. The God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, the God who heard His people's cry and rescued them from the Egyptians, the God who spoke through prophets and judges, men and women who followed Him.

The God of covenant promises, rich in mercy, who loves with an everlasting love. 

David cries out to Him.

And waits.

And somehow knows that God is so personal the He hears him, turns to him, bends down to him, stretches out towards him (that's this word "natah"), because that's who God is.

And that's how this song begins.

David gives us a wonderful example for when our hearts and minds are in turmoil, and that's to write. 

Write a few words, a few lines of how things are. It's OK to cry, to cry out, to cry out for help. 

Maybe David's song gives you and me permission to do the same thing.

#psalms

#psalm40

#itsasong

#itsOKtocryouttoGod

#ourGodbendsdownandhears