Personal Experience

There are many thrilling truths in this psalm, but also and more importantly it is the relating of David's own personal experience!

                                                      Peter and Paul

It is much like the apostle Peter who said, "whom having not seen you love, in whom though now  you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with Joy unspeakable and full of glory" [1 Peter1:8.] and like the Apostle Paul who spoke about "The Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ[Philippians 3:8.] 

                                                                Job

Job also in the midst of all his suffering he said, "Though The Lord slay me, yet will I trust Him" [Job 13:15.]

It is apparent with the  above that there is a thrilling reality in knowing The Lord!

Is this our experience? The apostle John mentions this with such earnestness in his first letter "These things have I written unto you that your JOY may be FULL" [1John 1:4.]

John would have heard many times words like "O John I could never have the thrilling experience of knowing The Lord like you, you leaned on Him and was close to Him, you ate with Him and walked with Him and how could I possibly know Him like you do", but John in the words above is saying loud and clear - O yes you CAN!

And Praise The Lord we can! and the reason is because we have been given "The earnest of the Spirit" which "searcheth all things yea The deep things of God" [2 Corinthians 5:5. Ephesians 1:14. 1 Corinthians 2:10.]

                                              Thrill List of Psalm 40!

• Heard my cry.
• Brought me up also out of an horrible Pit.
• Set my feet upon a Rock.
• Established my goings.
• New song in my mouth.
• Song of Praise.
• Many will see it and fear and put their trust in The Lord!
• Blessed is the man that makes The Lord his trust.
• Blessed is the man that doesn't turn aside to lies.
• The Lords thoughts toward him cannot be numbered.
• Sacrifice and offering not desired by The Lord.
• The Lord can open our ear to HEAR HIS VOICE!

                                        The last Two Thrills.

How did David begin his wonderful experience with The Lord?

The answer is provided by psalm 8 from verse 1.

"O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth" He experienced the same thrill that Paul speaks of to the Philippian believers "The excellencies.... of Christ".

                       But - How did that excellency happen deep down in his Soul?

It happened because as he said.... "Mine Ear hast Thou OPENED"!

And that happened when he WAITED on The Lord and CRIED out to Him, which is the first thing he mentions in verse one of the Psalm.

Yes, these two last aspects of David's experience are fundamental to ALL aspects of spiritual growth and experience of The Lord himself.

Firstly:- David "Waited on The Lord" patiently and "Cried Out" to Him desireing  to know His power for real and experience His goodness and this was an ongoing cry of David's heart to know The Lord in a greater way and there were many such events in Davids life and so he pens the words in Psalm 23, "He restoreth my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of  righteousness for His name's sake".

Secondly:- The Lord does not desire sacrifice, the answer is not on some "treadmill" of works or "commitment", He does not respond to mans ability to consecrate himself in his own "holiness" to The Lord but responds with OPENING our EAR to HEAR  HIS GLORIOUS VOICE [Isaiah 30:30.] and often like John on the Isle of Patmos, SEE HIS GLORY! And  then follows an onward forward experience of being changed, lifted out of every "Pit" being set upon a rock and others seeing it and being drawn to The Lord. That was the order with John's thrilling experience on the Isle of Patmos, first - Waiting on the Lord as he was accustomed to do, then secondly -  heard his Voice, thirdly  - saw His glory, and fourthly  - "Fell at His feet as dead." where it was no longer John "living" but Christ Living in him and continuing to be his ALL!

The Lord Himself wonderfully reveal His lovingkindness to you, causing you to hear "His glorious Voice" as we read in Isaiah 30:30 creating in your heart the "Thrill" of knowing MORE of His WONDER!

God Bless you much according to His wonderful Word.