U2 40, You Too?

U2 40; You too?

King David wrote a good number of Psalms; one that I particularly like is Psalm 40. This Psalm of praise is focused on grace and salvation. It is a song that declares how the author, the King himself was in a sticky place in, “mud and mire” is how he described it and the LORD took him and set him on a rock, on a firm place.

King David then declares that God put a new song in his mouth, a hymn of praise to God, also he states that many will see and fear and put their trust in God.

I did say see and fear, not see and hear, interesting line that. What is that “fear” thing about, well this word comes from a Hebrew word that is ‘yārē’ . This word in this context refers to being “in awe of God”. So where David is coming from is that people will see that God has taken him out of that situation and has set him in a firm place where people will be in awe of what God has done. Because they are in awe of what God has done; they too will put their trust in God. It’s always a good indicator to us that God is doing something when we see him in action, when we see someone reformed, when we hear of circumstances changing not because of good luck or chance but in those times when God intervenes in a situation. I looked up words that are similar to intervenes and one of them is intrudes. I like that word intrudes because it reminds me of a situation Jesus was involved in.

In Luke’s gospel chapter nineteen we have a story about chief a tax collector who climbs a tree to see Jesus. Jesus sees this man up the tree and calls out to him “Zacchaeus come down immediately; I must stay at your house today.” What occurred here was Jesus was travelling around, I believe quite intentionally and as he entered Jericho, he decided to invite himself into Zacchaeus’ life. Jesus just kind of intruded on Zacchaeus’ space. Why, because he knew that Zacchaeus needed something and that something was salvation. Zacchaeus had lived a dodgy life and here is the Saviour knowing that he needed to be saved, so he intervenes and saves Zacchaeus.

For those of us who have encountered the grace of God, who may have at some time cried out to God or may have found themselves in a conversation or circumstance whereby we learned about God unintentionally, we now have an understanding of God intervening in our lives…and I say praise him that he did intervene!

There is a rock group called U2 who wrote a song that really is very closely based on the words of Psalm 40. I must admit to being a bit of a fan of this group. The lyrics of their song go like this:

I waited patiently for the Lord

He inclined and heard my cry

He brought me up out of the pit

Out of the miry clay

I will sing, sing a new song

I will sing, sing a new song

How long to sing this song

How long to sing this song

How long, how long, how long

How long to sing this song

He set my feet upon a rock

And made my footsteps firm

Many will see

Many will see and hear

I will sing, sing a new song

I will sing, sing a new song

I will sing, sing a new song

I will sing, sing a new song

How long to sing this song

How long to sing this song

How long, how long, how long

How long to sing this song

That final question leaves me with three thoughts, the question being, “How long to sing this song?”

The first thought is this that our new song should be one of praise for what God has done for us, so that many will see and hear the good news of the gospel and also be saved from life as it is without God.

The second is this, and as you know many don’t understand this, is that we are saved by God’s grace, not because we earned it!

The final thought is that we are eternally saved, this from Jude 1:21; “Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”

I think today is a day to celebrate to sing praises for God has intervened, also that as we keep ourselves in his love we can be sure of eternal life. For we live in the knowledge that he has set us on a firm foundation of faith!