A Meditation on Psalm 40

Posted on Jul 23, 2022 in Uncategorized |

Kevin J Youngblood
 
You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!

A new thought occurred to me this morning as I read, reflected on, and prayed Psalm 40. I have often noted the prevalence of the theme of meditation in the psalms, but had always thought of it exclusively in human terms. That is to say that I considered meditation to be only a human activity.
 

This morning, however, I was struck by the psalmist’s recognition of YHWH’s thoughtful preoccupation with us, God’s human creatures. Though the verb usually translated “meditate” never occurs in this psalm, the verb or noun form of the word for thought or thinking occurs twice (vv. 5 & 17). Of particular interest is the wording of v. 5 “you have multiplied your thoughts toward us.” It is hard to imagine that this can mean anything except meditation. I was thunderstruck. YHWH meditates and his meditation is me and you! God’s thoughts are constantly turning toward and centering on humanity, especially on those who acknowledge God and consciously commune with God. I don’t know why I never thought of this before. After all Psalm 8 asks “What is humanity that you remember them, mere mortals that you focus your attention on them?”

Throughout the psalter, psalmists marvel at how attentive to us YHWH is, how much we preoccupy God’s thoughts. Is this not the fountainhead of love? God’s love for us begins with his preoccupation with us, his meditation on us, his fixation with us. Our love for God in turn begins with our preoccupation with God, our incessant thinking about God, desiring to please God, ruminating on bringing God glory, incessantly talking about God and sharing our delight in God with others.

This mutual meditation is the bond of the Spirit that keeps us connected to God, that makes the divine presence so real and palpable to us. God is even thinking about me when I am not thinking about him, leaving open the door to connection and communion, just waiting for me to wake up and turn my thoughts back to him. This thought is like fuel to the fire of my devotions. How I want to honor and meditate on the God whose meditations are always on me!

Our Father,

What a wonder that your thoughts, your meditations, so faithfully center on us! We are never out of your mind though you are often far from ours. Forgive us, O LORD, of our inattentiveness, our lack of focus, our wandering, undisciplined minds. As we consider the marvel of your meditations on us may our own meditations more faithfully and consistently center on you. Lord Jesus, thank you for modeling for us both God’s preoccupation with us AND the proper preoccupation of a human being with God as only you could in your full divinity and humanity. As the sole mediator between the divine and human, please channel our thoughts through you to the Father. Holy Spirit, blow the weathervane of our wandering, flitting thoughts evermore in a Godward direction. Fix our minds on the divine glory until it becomes our sole concern, our singular desire, our all-consuming pursuit.

AMEN.

 
 

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