Psalm 41

To the leader. A Psalm of David.
Happy are those who consider the poor;
  the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.
The Lord protects them and keeps them alive;
  they are called happy in the land.
  You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
The Lord sustains them on their sickbed;
  in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me;
  heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
My enemies wonder in malice
  when I will die, and my name perish.
And when they come to see me, they utter empty words,
  while their hearts gather mischief;
  when they go out, they tell it abroad.
All who hate me whisper together about me;
  they imagine the worst for me.
They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me,
  that I will not rise again from where I lie.
Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted,
  who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
  and raise me up, that I may repay them.
By this I know that you are pleased with me;
  because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
  and set me in your presence for ever.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
  from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

Comment:

  This is a very situational psalm, in that we know quite a bit about the condition that gave rise to the words. It is a prayer—an affirmation, really—for healing. Its underlying message is that God is the only Source we need, or can trust, in every circumstance. According to the judgment of the author's enemies—and even his friends—he is seriously, perhaps terminally, ill. If he places his faith in those opinions, he will indeed fulfill their negative expectations. But by remembering that God is the Source for healing, and God is the energy in which negative expressions of disease can be dissolved, he will rise up from his sickbed and prove his friends and enemies wrong.   So it is with us. If we choose to place our faith strictly in the workings of our minds and reports of our senses, we will be buffeted by negative and contradictory energies. But if we place our faith in the Christ Presence of God, we will always be empowered and at peace.   Blessings! Rev. Ed