The Strengthening Word of Prophesy

Scripture:
I waited patiently for the Lord,
    and He turned to me, and heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
    out of the miry clay,
and set my feet on a rock,
    and established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth,
    even praise to our God;
many will see it, and fear,
    and will trust in the Lord
...
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
    You have opened up my ears to listen.
Burnt offering and sin offering
    You have not required.
Then I said, "Behold, I have come;
    in the scroll of the book it is written of me,
I delight to do Your will, O my God;
    Your law is within my inward parts."
Psalm 40:1-3,6-8

Observation: This is a psalm explicitly about the Messiah. It is the Messiah - Jesus - who was brought out of the pit of death, had himself established by God as the rock and foundation of the world, pronounced a new message, became the embodiment of ritual sacrifice, pronounced his coming directly from the scriptures themselves, and in whom many now trust in the Lord.

Application: Last week I was part of a group discussion about reading the Bible. I remain perplexed by people who doubt the authenticity of the Bible when it is so clearly prophetic. Perhaps it is because of a symbiotic relationship between what the book says, and what occurred historically ... and the ability to question either. Even this psalm might not be a messianic prediction - it might be a prayer of thanks by any author who felt supported after a period of oppression. And certainly if you don't believe Jesus existed - and thus didn't defeated death nor read of his own mission from the book of Isaiah - then this cannot predict something that never occurred.

As for me, I LOVE discovering passages like this one! Fulfilled prophesy does for me exactly what God wanted it to do ... it encourages and strengthens my thoughts, faith, and hope. As I prepare for a VERY hard day ahead, this alone gives me all the strength I need, remembering that this life is fleeting, but God's love is eternal. God's love, and the grace resulting from Jesus Christ, is the new song, and I praise and trust in the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for renewed strength today! You knew I needed it before I could ask, and in your love provided it. Thank you again I say!! You are my Lord, my God, my hope, my father. Amen.