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11LORD, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.

Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.

12For troubles surround me—

too many to count!

My sins pile up so high

I can’t see my way out.

They outnumber the hairs on my head.

I have lost all courage.

13Please, LORD, rescue me!

Come quickly, LORD, and help me.

14May those who try to destroy me

be humiliated and put to shame.

May those who take delight in my trouble

be turned back in disgrace.

15Let them be horrified by their shame,

for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

16But may all who search for you

be filled with joy and gladness in you.

May those who love your salvation

repeatedly shout, “The LORD is great!”

17As for me, since I am poor and needy,

let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.

You are my helper and my saviour.

O my God, do not delay. (NLT)

In recent psalms, David has been honest about his sinfulness, and its impact on his life. Who of us cannot identify with his language about a ”pile” of sin – so much sin it blocks his view. He can’t see clearly. What to do about a pile of sin? The answer for David is the same for us: it is to look for help to the God who alone can save. Let’s remember that earlier verses in this Psalm (6-8) prophetically point us to Jesus and His finished work on the Cross. There is our salvation, our healing, our all.

”To the end of life we shall continually need God’s lovingkindness, to deal mercifully with our failures and sins, and His truth, that is, His faithfulness. The Covenant, ordered in all things and sure, and that which binds him irrevocably, is the rock of our comfort, whether we are compassed by innumerable evils or overtaken by iniquities, Psalms 40:12 .

Our sense of sin grows with our increasing knowledge of the holiness and love of God. They who are nearest to the heart of God are least able to forgive themselves, though they know that they are forgiven. But while we think hard thoughts against ourselves, and confess ourselves to be poor and needy, we may take great comfort in God’s thoughts for us, Psalms 40:17 . They are tender and loving, Jeremiah 29:11 . Poverty and need are never reasons for despair. These things do not alienate God’s interest. They rather attract Him; just as a sick child will get more of the mother’s care than the healthy members of the home-circle.” F.B. Meyer

Light, space, zest—
    that’s God!
So, with him on my side I’m fearless,
    afraid of no one and nothing.

² When vandal hordes ride down
    ready to eat me alive,
Those bullies and toughs
    fall flat on their faces.

³ When besieged,
    I’m calm as a baby.
When all hell breaks loose,
    I’m collected and cool.

⁴ I’m asking God for one thing,
    only one thing:
To live with him in his house
    my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
    I’ll study at his feet.

⁵ That’s the only quiet, secure place
    in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
    far from the buzz of traffic. The Message

We can be so familiar with the language of the psalms that we lose sight of the grave and fearful danger David so often found himself in. We see the words on the page about enemies and foes, and so on, and we’re used to them. Perhaps we sometimes fail to imagine how we ourselves might feel if surrounded by ravaging, beast-like opponents? We need to try to enter in to David’s experience to realise what a gift (miraculous gift) his calm, composed spirit is/

Where do your ambitions lie? What do you desire most? David was a man after God’s own heart, I think, because he loved and desired God above all else. He was profoundly God-centred.

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock (4,5) NIVUK

This ”One thing” defined David’s life.

We live in a noisy, busy world. Its many voices scream at us from all sides, clamouring for our attention. For the most part they speak (shout!) trivia. But David knew where the ‘secret place’ is.

”The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.” (Ps.23:1-3a) NIVUK

Grace Clement wrote this beautiful hymn:

‘Dwelling in the secret place,
Overshadowed by His grace,
Looking up into His face,
Seeing only Jesus.

Hidden there from all alarm,
Safe from danger, fear and harm,
Holden up by His strong arm,
Seeing only Jesus.

Dwelling there, how truly blest!
Leaving all, how sweet to rest,
Head upon my Saviour’s breast,
Seeing only Jesus.

Resting there, no more to roam,
Drawing near to heaven and home,
Waiting there until He come,
Seeing only Jesus.’