S ) "5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count."
Psalm 40:5 (NASB)
O) This verse has a little bit of ambiguity in it. When David said, "they would be..." it is not exactly clear what "they" he meant. It could be that the wonders which God has done are too numerous to count. But, it could also be that God's thoughts toward His people are too numerous to count. We know that David often proclaimed the mighty and numerous wonders of the LORD in his psalms, so that it easy to read in this verse. It is less common, but there is a cross-reference to David more clearly mentioning God thinking of His people (e.g., Psalm 139:17-18). What is really coming through this single verse, then, is a comparison or an equality, of both God's wonders and His thoughts toward us. Both of those things together, make God even more wonderful. Considering both makes God even further beyond compare! Not only is He personal enough to think of us more often than can be counted, he is also mighty enough that we could never know the extant of the wonders He has done. He is beyond us in power, yet within us in relationship. His duality this way, the marriage of His omnipotence with His unending mercy, His irresistible power with His invulnerable compassion, together make Him completely holy, different, and unique, with none to compare with Him.
A) Complete humility is my inward response to this. Praise and worship should be my outward response. When I have failed, fallen, or sinned, I must remember that the LORD is a personal God. He had complete foreknowledge when He commissioned Jesus to die on the cross for me, personally. He knows my sins, even before I commit them, just as He knew everything about me before I was born. In that way, I must remember that when He forgives my guilt He also takes my shame. On the other hand, when I am tempted toward pride, I must remember that His standard is hopelessly beyond my own self. there is simply no way I could ever hope to reach His standards alone. With that understanding, I must remember how fierce my God is. I must remember the awesome nature of the works of His hands. He has destroyed cities for their sins, taken the sanity of a king in order to humble him, and blinded men in order to accomplish His will. In all of God's mercy and compassion, I can never forget that He is still righteous and mighty. However, in all of His mighty wonders, I cannot forget that He is still compassionate and merciful. He is beyond me in power, yet within me in relationship.
A) Complete humility is my inward response to this. Praise and worship should be my outward response. When I have failed, fallen, or sinned, I must remember that the LORD is a personal God. He had complete foreknowledge when He commissioned Jesus to die on the cross for me, personally. He knows my sins, even before I commit them, just as He knew everything about me before I was born. In that way, I must remember that when He forgives my guilt He also takes my shame. On the other hand, when I am tempted toward pride, I must remember that His standard is hopelessly beyond my own self. there is simply no way I could ever hope to reach His standards alone. With that understanding, I must remember how fierce my God is. I must remember the awesome nature of the works of His hands. He has destroyed cities for their sins, taken the sanity of a king in order to humble him, and blinded men in order to accomplish His will. In all of God's mercy and compassion, I can never forget that He is still righteous and mighty. However, in all of His mighty wonders, I cannot forget that He is still compassionate and merciful. He is beyond me in power, yet within me in relationship.
P) Father, You are holy. Your character is unlike any other. You are great in lovingkindness, full of compassion, slow to anger. You are fierce, mighty to save, strong to accomplish Your sovereign will. Help me to remember the duality of Your nature, this way. When I think of Your mercy, let me not forget Your power. When I think of Your righteousness, let me not forget Your compassion. In the same way, help me to exhibit these same characteristics in my own life, just as Jesus did Himself. Help me to be decisive and certain for my wife, yet gentle and compassionate with her needs. With my children, help me to be strong in both my discipline and also my protection. Let them see that there are rules that they must strive toward, but that there is mercy in their failures. You are a wonderful God, and my prayer is that my family knows Your character and, if possible, they see my life as a reflection of You, by Your Son. All glory and honor be to You. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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