Communicate What You Cherish

“I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation…”

Psalm 40:10a

When we think of the Psalms, scarcely does the word evangelism ever come to our minds. But that is exactly what David has to teach us today. He says “I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart.” What does this mean?

First, it means that David has experienced the Lord’s deliverance in his life. Another word for deliverance here is righteousness. Righteousness means having a right and pure standing before God. David knows his sin: he confesses later in this psalm that his “iniquities have overtaken” him (v.12). So how can David, a sinner, be righteous before a holy God? The answer must come from the outside. This is why David says “I have not hidden your deliverance.” The word your is the key. It is the Lord’s righteousness which David has experienced. Not his own.

Christian, if you have looked upon Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, the Word says that you now have His righteousness. “For our sake” God made Jesus “to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). This is good news! Your standing before God does not depend upon your personal performance or piety. This is what the Pharisees thought made them pure. Although we should seek to live holy lives out of sheer gratitude for our Savior, it is only by His spotless life traded on our behalf that we can now be called righteous. We now have the deliverance of Christ within our hearts. Have you experienced this?

Second, David has evangelized the Lord’s deliverance in his life. Look at what he says, (and I dare say we often miss this): “I have not hidden your deliverance…I have spoken of…your salvation.” Because David has experienced the joys of God’s deliverance, he now desires to evangelize others with it. If we are honest, most of us disobey this verse because we hide this salvation within our hearts. We fear rejection. But this goes contrary to what our Lord says in Matthew 5: people do not “light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house” (Mt. 5:15).

There is a clear principle of human nature at work here: “we communicate what we cherish.” This is certainly true. We love football, so we speak of last Sunday’s game. We love our family, so we speak of their lives to others. We love our children, so we share what they are doing as they grow up. The principle is clear: you will eventually share what you hold most dear to your heart.

Do you cherish Jesus? Are you humbly brought to your knees because of His steadfast love poured over you? Do you realize that the God of the universe has “proved” his love by sending Christ, while you were “yet a sinner” (Rm 5:8)? Do you know that He will never forsake you, but you are now joined to Christ forever? Is not this news worth shouting? Oh friend, cherish your Savior! Pray to Him and worship His name right now under your breath. 

But don’t stop there. Do not hide the light in your heart. The world ever so needs it. The gift of Jesus is the best news you could ever share with someone. Have you experienced the love and grace of the Savior? Why would you not want your friends to have that too? 

Remember today: you will communicate what you cherish. 

Do you cherish Jesus?