Despite our arrogant self-sufficiency, we are a needy people, like an animal needs air and a fish needs water.

Psalms 40:17 NLT
[17] As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts. You are my helper and my savior. O my God, do not delay.

David, King David, favoured by God, the model king of Israel, the king against whom all other kings of Judah were measured…this David…saw himself as poor and needy. How did he reach this diagnosis? He measured himself, not by other people or even by his own achievements or his standard of righteousness, but by God Himself.

Despite his status as king in Israel, David knew that he was as ordinary as any other person. His office as king did not make him better, more righteous, or holier that his fellow Israelites. He was just as capable of sinning as the next person.

As he mused over the wonders of the night sky, David viewed himself and all humans as infinitely small and yet of great significance in God’s creation.

Psalms 8:3-4 NLT
[3] “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— [4] what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”

What produced this attitude of humility in this man?

First, David knew himself. He didn’t entertain grandiose notions of who he was. He was the youngest son of his father, Jesse, an ordinary citizen in Israel. He was only a shepherd, an outdoor boy who spent his days caring for his father’s sheep. They were not even his own sheep.

He was not self-appointed; God chose him to be king and Samuel, God’s prophet anointed him for his role.

Psalms 78:70-71 NLT
[70] “He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens. [71] He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants— God’s own people, Israel.”

1 Samuel 16:13 NLT
[12] [13]”So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.”

David had every reason to be proud and elevated above his fellow-Isaelites. As little as he was to begin with, he became great by his godly and faithful life… and yet, he recognised his own state before God.

For years he had fled from King Saul’s murderous intentions. There were moments when he was only a hair’s breadth from death. He lived as a fugitive with a group loyal men who depended on him for leadership and provision. These were years of training during which he learned to depend on God. He had no fixed home or source of supply apart from the Lord.

David also had experience of his own inner rottenness. His fall into gross sin awakened him to his potential for evil. How else could he conclude…

Psalms 51:5 NLT
[5] “For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.”

He knew that, by his own efforts, he could never change who he was. He could only cast himself on God’s mercy to forgive and restore.

Psalms 51:1-2 NLT
[1] “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. [2] Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.”

Psalms 32:1-2 NLT
[1] “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! [2] Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!”

David exulted in his experience of God’s grace. He could never forget, king though he was, that he had fallen from his pedestal, and tasted the bitterness of guilt, betrayal, and alienation from his God. He also knew the joy of forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration.

Second, David knew God. His utter dependence on the Lord taught him to trust in a powerful and faithful God. All his experiences as a young boy, a young man, and an elevated king, led him to believe in and trust a God who always met his needs. How else could he have penned the words of Psalm 103?

Psalms 103:2 NLT
[2] “Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.”

This psalm is an expression of David’s true place before God. Forgiveness, provision, grace, mercy, patience, covenant love… all this and more formed his experience of the God he so fervently worshiped.

Without God, David was nothing. Everything he was, everything he had, and everything he experienced had God slap bang in the centre. It’s no wonder he could confess, with absolute honesty and conviction,

Psalms 40:16-17 NIV
[16] “… May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is great!” [17] But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.”

Why are we also poor and needy?

Like David, we were born sinners, and can do nothing to save ourselves from self destruction. Like David, we need God’s forgiveness and grace to overcome our sinful ways. And, like David, we are dependent on the Lord for everything in life, no matter how important or self-sufficient we think we are are, even for the air we breathe.

Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.”

What if we also, whatever our station in lfe, whatever our achievements, successes or failures, were to stand beside David in his conviction, and confess with him,

” But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me… “