Psalm 41

1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.

2 The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;
he will bless him in the land
and not surrender him to the desire of his foes.

3 The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed
and restore him from his bed of illness.

4 I said, "O LORD, have mercy on me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you."

5 My enemies say of me in malice,
"When will he die and his name perish?"

6 Whenever one comes to see me,
he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
then he goes out and spreads it abroad.

7 All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,

8 "A vile disease has beset him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies."

9 Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me.

10 But you, O LORD, have mercy on me;
raise me up, that I may repay them.

11 I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does not triumph over me.

12 In my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.

13 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.

The psalmist started this psalm with a series of blessings - the Lord will deliver him in times of trouble, protect him, preserve his life, bless him in the land, not give him up to his foes' desires and heal him in times of sickness.

I'm sure all of us desire and want to have all of the above. I do.

But Psalm 41 did state that there is a condition for us to fulfill, if we want to enjoy the blessings. We need to have regard for the weak (verse 1a).

We need to think about those that are less fortunate than us - can be people with physical or mental handicaps, or can be people who are poor financially. In this festive season of Chinese New Year, are we thinking about the poor and needy? Or are we just concerned about ourselves?

Paul mentioned this in Galatians 2:10 "All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."


Personally, I realised that I can be pretty self-centred throughout the whole of Chinese New Year period. I'm constantly thinking about myself and the things that I'm involved in. I have neglected the poor and needy. I really don't think God is pleased. After reading today's psalm, I commit myself to housevisit at least Po Po's house at Toa Payoh. I need to remember the poor.


Things to ponder
1. When was the last time you ever did something for the poor and needy? What did you do?
2. During this Chinese New Year period, what is one thing you can do to remember the poor and needy?
3. Pray and commit to God the thing you want to do to remember the poor and needy.

Click here for Pastor YC's reflection on Psalm 41