“A double witness”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Friday, September 15, 2023

Psalm 40 (Forward, p. 48) CEV p. 578

One thing that our psalmist David knows fully well is that our faith in God can never be a solitary thing, a thing kept entirely to oneself and never shared or expressed outwardly. He knows that what we say or do inevitably reveals or demonstrates something about our faith. Indeed, our words and our deeds are like two witnesses in court that give evidence of who we are in relation to God.

Here, in today’s psalm, speaks of two witnesses from his own life—even though possibly just in passing:

-the first has to do with how God has worked in his life and in those

of his congregation:

“You listened and pulled me from a lonely pit full of mud and mire.

You let me stand on a rock with my feet firm, and you gave me a new song, a song of praise to you. Many will see this, and they will honour and trust you, the Lord God” (verses 1b-3);

“Our Lord, let your worshippers rejoice and be glad. They love you for saving them, so let them always say, ‘The Lord is wonderful!’” (verse 16).

-the second witness is his own words:

“When your people worshipped, you know I told them, ‘Our Lord always helps!’ When all your people met, I did not keep silent. I said, ‘Our Lord is kind. He is faithful and caring, and he saves us’” (verses 9-10);

And here, it is of particular interest and importance to note that David is able to say this, experience this, and pray in this way, in spite of the conflicts in his own life and resolve:

-on the one hand, he has pledged himself to doing as God orders

and pleasing God:

“Sacrifices and offerings are not what please you; gifts and payment for sin are not what you demand. But you made me willing to listen and obey. And so, I said, ‘I am here to do what is written about me in the book, where it says, ‘I enjoy pleasing you, ‘Your Law is in my heart.’” (verses 6-8);

-and on the other hand, he knows perfectly well that he has certainly

‘flubbed it’, failed in so many ways

“I have more troubles than I can count. My sins are all around me, and I can’t find my way. My sins outnumber the hairs on my head, and I feel weak” (verse 12).

So, such is David’s confidence in God and His goodness and in His ever-present help in times of trouble. And furthermore, David is quite willing for this confidence to show in his life, to spill over in his words and deeds, and to speak of this to others—a kind of double witness. Let us who also believe and trust in Him do the same.

Forward notes: “Great thing are they that you have done, O Lord my God!” How great your wonders and your plans for us! There is none who can be compared with you. Oh, that I could made them known and tell them! But they are more than I can count” (verse 5-6).

“Has someone ever asked you to tell them about a loved one, and you are at a loss for words? Sometimes I launch into a monologue about someone dear to me and feel like every word misses the mark. Not even ten stories can begin to show someone what a loved one is like. The details of the everyday need exposition as much as the monumental events, and highlighting them all seems impossible.

“The psalmist’s exclamation ‘Oh, that I could make them known and tell them!’ exudes the love of someone who has witnessed God’s great things firsthand and years to detail every moment to others. It’s a love forged not just in good times together but in ‘the pit’ (verse 1), where God’s presence means more than words can express. With such love, a funny thing can happen: As love tries to speak, it eludes communication, yet when it becomes known, the words often end up not mattering anyway.”

Moving Forward: “Think of a way to express your love of a family member or friend—without using words.”