HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May God bless you and protect you; may He look with favor upon you and be
gracious to you; and may He give you peace by providing all that you need to
live life abundantly.

Psalm 40 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child."

Psalm 40
Foretelling of the Incarnation⁷².

1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.
6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
7 Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”
9 I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.
10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For 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.
13 Please, Lord, rescue me!
Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
14 May 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.
15 Let them be horrified by their shame,
for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”
16 But 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!”
17 As for me, since I am poor and needy,
let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
O my God, do not delay.

The mortal body was doomed to decay in the tomb (mud and mire), but death was destroyed (he lifted me out of the pit) by Christ's Incarnation ("I have come") and we were restored to eternal life by His Resurrection (he set my feet on solid ground) (40:1-3). Such is the joy of those who trust only in the Lord and not in false idols (40:4-5). When we were lost and unable to reconcile ourselves to the Father (my sins pile up so high) (40:11-12), God sent His Son to intercede for us (40:6-8). Jesus came to do the Father's will (your instructions are written on my heart), preach the gospel (good news) (40:9-10) and conquer the enemy (turned back in disgrace) (40:13-15). We will rejoice with Him eternally in heaven for He has come to our aid and saved us (40:16-17).

Prayer for life: Father, we have sinned against You grievously in committing abortions. Yet, You are ready to forgive us if we but repent and surrender our will to Your will, i.e., to follow Your commandments, especially "thou shalt not kill." May Your precepts be written on our hearts and let us resolve to never offend You again with the evil of abortion. Lord, come to our assistance. Jesus, make haste to help us. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John

⁷²The Orthodox Study Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 708. Print.

Scripture quotations (Psalms 37-41) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2010 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of God.