David had sunk into an abyss so deep that there was no place for his feet to stand. It wasn’t that he wanted to die; he wanted to live, but all hope was gone. He wrote: “The Lord ... raised me out of the miry pit, out of the mud and clay; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm footing†(Psalm 40:1, 2, REB).
Let us remember: temptation is not sin itself; to be so tempted did not mean that the Lord had forsaken His servant David; but it meant that David had an experience that comes to many of us and David’s psalm is given us by the Lord to encourage us and to save us from despair when we are tempted as he was.
And this was to become a soul-winning experience for David, for he adds, “On my lips He put a new song. ... Many will look with awe and put their trust in the Lord†(vs. 3).
There is something we must do! Yes, we must “put [our] trust in the Lord†!
(a) To do so involves the experience of repentance, for when the Holy Spirit meets us personally His first work is stated as follows: “And when He [the Holy Spirit] is come, He will reprove [that is, convict] the world of sin ...†(John 16:8).
(b) But He has a second work also: “He will convict the world ... of righteousness.†Why? “Because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more†(vs. 10)
(c) That means that we can “see†Jesus just as clearly now through the work of the Holy Spirit as the disciples could who saw Him face to face among them.
(d) Remember, repentance is not something that we work up ourselves; it is a gift from the Lord, for Acts 5:31 tells us that “Him hath God exalted with His right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, and to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins†(REB).
(d) Accept the “gift.†Receive it!
(e) It’s not a sad experience; it is intensely joyous, for to be heart- reconciled to the Lord Jesus and the Father is joy unspeakable!
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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