Psalm 40: Great is Thy Faithfulness

 A prayer for future deliverance after recounting God’s past deliverances

This Psalm, written by David, is similar to Psalm 27 and Psalm 70. It is a royal prayer that begins with confidence and thanksgiving for what God has done. Then it moves to praying for the present difficulties that need divine intervention.

Our Bible study rule is:

RULE #3: Interpret each passage based on the grammar used in each sentence. Pay attention to the verbs (tenses: past, present, future), subjects, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, preposition, etc. Use a dictionary and an English grammar book for help. If the passage is difficult to understand, label the key words grammatically and note their relationships to each other.

Many of the psalms and other Old Testament passages are written with a special form that is called a chiasm. It has a special pattern that has greater emphasis on the information in the center (D. and D`.) and there are parallels throughout the literary unit (A and A,` B and B,` etc.).

A. A personal experience of divine salvation (vs. 1–3)

     B. The blessing of Yahweh’s protection (vs. 4–5)

          C. A statement of commitment (vs. 6–8)

               D. A proclamation of God’s character (vs. 9–10)

               D`. A prayer based on God’s character (vs. 11)

          C`. A confession of sin (vs. 12)

     B`. A prayer for God’s protection (vs. 13–16)

A`. A personal need of divine salvation (vs. 17)

  I. A personal experience of divine salvation (vs. 1–3)

     A. Waiting patiently was rewarded

     B. The rescue was accomplished by God

     C. Quick sand, Jeremiah in the pit

     D. This may have been a terminal illness from which David was healed 

     E. The nation of Israel was delivered by God just as David was

     F. The rock is a symbol of God’s protection and defense

    G. God’s salvation results in worship, singing thanksgiving unto God

    H. God’s interventions can be seen and results in reverence and trust in Yahweh

 II. The blessing of Yahweh’s protection (vs. 4–5)

      A. Reflection on the life of faith

      B. Pride and idols bring curses

      C. Faith and obedience bring blessings

      D. God’s supernatural providential interventions are the “wonders”

           (Daniel and his friends)

      E. The history of redemption records many deliverances

III. A statement of commitment (vs. 6–8)

     A. Dedication and gratitude show that mere formalism does not do the job

     B. Ritual are not enough; Saul offered a sacrifice wrongly and lost the kingdom

     C. These words go beyond David and are Messianic (Heb 10:5–10)

     D. The O.T. predicted the Messiah’s coming

     E. Loving God with all our heart is first and foremost

     F. The procedure without the heart is never good enough

IV. A proclamation of God’s character (vs. 9–10)

      A. Proclamation of God’s saving acts is a duty

      B. God is righteous, faithful, loving, saving, truthful

      C. Proclamation is to the worshiping assembly

      D. God acts for the benefit of His kingdom and His covenant 

 V. A prayer based on God’s character (vs. 11)

      A. Waiting on God again for deliverance

      B. A new crisis has arisen for David or the nation

      C. David needs God’s hesed (covenant love) and mercy

VI. A confession of sin (vs. 12)

       A. My iniquities or the nations has caused this chastisement

       B. The consequence of sin always involves pain

       C. David goes to God for help even when the problem is his fault because he is in a covenant 

            relationship with God

VII. A prayer for God’s protection (vs. 13–16)

       A. David needs immediate deliverance       

       B. My enemies need to be stopped by God

       C. Those that love God praise and worship Him

       D. Believers seek God and His glory

VIII. A personal need of divine salvation (vs. 17)

        A. My help my deliverer (savior) is the Yahweh

        B. He does not doubt God’s ability to save

Lessons to Live by:

• We are prone to quickly forget God’s past deliverances. When we are going through a new trial we should look back to God’s past acts in the Bible and in our lives

• God is faithful, righteous, true, and keeps His covenant promises

• We need to reaffirm our confidence in God and proclaim His greatness

• We need to trust God for salvation

• We need to confess our sins to God and take responsibility for our iniquities

• We need to go to God our Savior in prayer—He alone can deliver us

• Once we do our part, we need to wait on God 

The Homegoing of Mary Anne Belcher

Mary Anne Belcher of Fort Mill, South Carolina, was born on May 1, 1935 in Troy, Missouri, and went home to be with the Lord on September 30, 2016. She was 81 years old and was the daughter of Robert and Edna Casner.

Mary Anne is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, Dr. Richard Paul Belcher, Sr. of Fort Mill, South Carolina; a son, Dr. Richard Paul Belcher, Jr. and his wife Lu of Fort Mill, South Carolina; a daughter, Anne Jeanette Gottman and her husband Tom of Springfield, Missouri; a sister, Mae Martin of St. Louis, Missouri; a sister-in-law, Frances Haley of Troy, Missouri; five grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. Her mother and father, sister Jeanette Hamlett (Tom), brother Marvin Handlong, and brother-in-law Walter Martin, all preceded her in death.

Mary Anne was in banking most of her life, was an accomplished mortgage loan officer, and was Vice President of Service Corporation of South Carolina after moving to Columbia, South Carolina from Missouri. When her mother-in-law needed extra care many years ago, Mary Anne and Doc took her into their home. Mary Anne faithfully provided the care she needed for many years until the Lord took Doc’s mother home to heaven. Her story as a prayer warrior is told in Dr. Belcher’s book, A Journey in Christian Heritage.

Mary Anne was a big help to her husband in his publishing business. She typed many manuscripts and after she retired she helped manage Richbarry Press. She also provided many hours of support for Evangelizing India for Christ (EIFC). She was a volunteer bookkeeper and also provided secretarial support for several years as well. She made numerous sacrifices for the work in India with a willing servant’s heart.

Mary Anne loved working in the nursery at church and served as nursery coordinator for many years. She also enjoyed singing hymns. After Dr. Belcher retired from Columbia International University, they moved to Fort Mill. She also enjoyed crocheting, reading, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and feeding birds.

Mary Anne was also an excellent housekeeper and a gracious host. She may have been too gracious of a host, at times, for Dr. Belcher’s liking, as the following story will illustrate. Dr. Belcher used to pick up board members at the airport and train station in Charlotte twice each year for the EIFC board meetings held in Rock Hill. On one occasion, after stopping for an early lunch, Doc drove a board member he was transporting to his house for a short visit while he worked briefly on a project with a deadline. Those who know Doc well know that he has a special love for ice cream. (He used to even eat ice cream in India, even though they don’t pasteurize their milk, and this involved a risk of “Delhi belly.”) As the story goes, when Doc came downstairs, Mary Anne and the board member he left downstairs were enjoying two of his Dove bars. He used to tell others how great they were. He would say, “D-O-V-E, Dove bars—you need to try one.” When Doc saw the Dove bars being consumed, he noted, “Now you know how good they are.” This board member would tease Doc on the way to Rock Hill from Charlotte for the next few board meetings that he dare not stop at his house in Fort Mill. Mary Anne was such a gracious hostess that she would give away all his Dove bars, significantly reducing his inventory.

Mary Anne is greatly missed by her husband, family, church family, the board of EIFC and many friends. We are looking forward to spending time with her in heaven and joining her in the resurrection on that great day. Please continue to pray for Dr. Belcher and the extended Belcher family as they reorient their lives over the next several years without Mary Anne’s special presence.