Psalms 41:1 says, To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Again we have the introduction, then verse one says, Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. Once more, David tells us that those who help the poor are helped, or blessed, by God. I believe a person has to do this to bring honor to God, and not himself or herself, in order to be blessed by God. Verse two adds, The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. David continues to speak about those who help the needy and says that God will keep him or her from his or her enemies. Once more, I believe that we must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for this to be true. Verse three continues, The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. David then said that God would be with those who helped the poor even if they were sick in bed. This was not a promise that God was going to enrich them materially, but that He would be with them no matter what happened in this life. We, as followers of Christ, should not help the poor so that God will reward us, but should do it so that God will be glorified. Verse four declares, I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. David asked God to heal his soul because he had sinned against God. This is the prayer that we must pray when we come to Jesus Christ for salvation. We must acknowledge our sin and our inability to find forgiveness outside of accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Verse five adds, Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish? David said his enemies asked when would he die and his name be forgotten. As Christians, the people of the world may ask the same thing of us, but we can be sure that our name will never be forgotten by God, even if no one in the world remembers us for long. Verse six continues, And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. David said if his enemy came to see him that he spoke vanity, or meaningless words, and that his enemy then told the world about David's suffering, because or the iniquity of the enemy's heart. Many non Christians today love to talk about it when Christians suffer, claiming that it shows that either God doesn't exist or that He has little power. What they fail to understand is that God is with us always, even if we are suffering, and that through faith in Christ we have already been given everlasting life with God. Verse seven adds, All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt. David said that all those who hated him were whispering about him and devising ways to hurt him. We,as Christians, may sometimes feel that the world is against us, but as long as we remain faithful to God, it really doesn't matter. This world is not our home. Verse eight states, An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more. David said that his enemies said that he would never rise from the evil disease that clung to him. Still, it was not in this life that David had hope, and neither should it be for us as Christians. Verse nine adds, Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. David said even his trusted friends had turned against him. If we are suffering as Christians, sometimes even those that we thought to be trusted friends may turn away from us, but we as Christians should never be that way toward those who are suffering, especially our fellow Christians. Verse ten says, But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. David asked God to be merciful to him so that he could requite them. We as followers of Christ need to realize that God has already been merciful to us, and one day He will silence our enemies. Verse eleven adds, By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. David said that by God lifting him up and silencing his enemies that he would know that God favored him. Through faith in Christ, God has already lifted us up over our enemies forever. Verse twelve continues, And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever. Like David, through our faith in Christ, we can be certain that God upholds us and we will see His face forevermore one day. Verse thirteen concludes, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. David then asked that the name of the LORD be blessed forever. As Christians, this should be our goal in life, that we live in such a way that God's name will be glorified.
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