Making The Lord His Trust (Psalm 40:4)

 


Wednesday, 17 September, 2025


Psalm 40

1 Kings 11:1-25

Matthew 5:13-26


Observance: Hildegaard of Bingen, abbess & spiritual writer (d. 1179)


Making The Lord His Trust (Psalm 40:4)


Blessed is the man who makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after a lie!


I heard once somewhere that one of the reasons for the effectiveness of the American military is that they have a procedure for just about everything. Whether it is cooking potato gems on a nuclear submarine, or deciding on a specific tactic in the midst of battle, there is a manual that says “if this happens, do that”. While we Christians are not American Navy cooks or Special Forces operatives, we are soldiers in God’s army. And so often there are circumstances where it would be nice if God would just tell us exactly what to do.


Yet God works in a different way. He is sovereign and in complete control. And he also makes us responsible for our actions. It is tricky to hold them together at the same time. But, as our Articles of Religion say, this is what we have received in the pages of Scripture.


God asks us to live not according to specific rules so much as general principles (the conversation between our conscience and the Holy Spirit is in charge of the specifics). And the over-arching general principle is referred to in today’s Psalm: blessed is the one who makes the Lord their trust.


Are you currently trying to discern what God wants you to do? What general principles are you using to help your discernment?


Sovereign God, you hold our eternity in your hand while setting us free in your love; bind our hearts to your will, that our actions and desires may be freely chosen according to your wise design.

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