Nurse

Psalm 41

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor.

The LORD rescues them in times of trouble.

2The LORD protects them

and keeps them alive.

He gives them prosperity

and rescues them from their enemies.

3The LORD nurses them when they are sick

and eases their pain and discomfort.

4“O LORD,” I prayed, “have mercy on me.

Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5But my enemies say nothing but evil about me.

“How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.

6They visit me as if they are my friends,

but all the while they gather gossip,

and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.

7All who hate me whisper about me,

imagining the worst for me.

8“Whatever he has, it is fatal,” they say.

“He will never get out of that bed!”

9Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely,

the one who shared my food,

has turned against me.

10LORD, have mercy on me.

Make me well again, so I can pay them back!

11I know that you are pleased with me,

for you have not let my enemy triumph over me.

12You have preserved my life because I am innocent;

you have brought me into your presence forever.

13Praise the LORD, the God of Israel,

who lives from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen and amen!

A century ago a minister related a story to his congregation about a sick friend who told him that he was resting on the three pillows of God’s infinite power, love, and wisdom. Several months later a young woman in the congregation said she had recently gone through a major operation. When the surgeon took away the pillow she had been clutching, she responded that she still had the three pillows of God’s infinite love, power, and wisdom, which the surgeon couldn’t take away.

David knew of the comforting power of God as well. In Psalm 23 David refers to the Lord as a caring shepherd, and in Psalm 103 God is a loving parent showing compassion for his children. In this psalm David describes God as one who nurses the poor back to health (verse 3).

David wrote this psalm as he was feeling the effects of some sin he had committed. His friends visited him but thought he would never get well. Even David’s best friend (Ahithophel?) had turned against him. Yet in all of this, David rejoices in God’s protection and calls for everyone to bless the Lord.

When you are sick, call upon God, for he is powerful and compassionate, stooping down to tend to your most basic needs.

O Love Divine, that stooped to share

Our sharpest pang, our bitterest tear;

On you we cast each earth-born care,

We smile at pain when you are near.

OLIVER W. HOLMES

Bible Networking

In verse 9 David may have been referring to his trusted counselor Ahithophel (2 Samuel 16:23). See how Jesus read it as a messianic prophecy in John 13:18.

Notable Quotable

“Into what minuteness of exquisite and touching tenderness does the Lord condescend to enter [verse 3]! One feels almost as we may suppose Peter felt when the Lord came to him and would have washed his feet. Here the Lord, the great God of heaven, does indeed take upon him the form of a servant, fulfilling all the loving and tender offices of an assiduous nurse.”

BARTON BOUCHIER