John Calvin Commentary Psalms 40:17

"But I am poor and needy; [Yet] the Lord thinketh upon me: Thou art my help and my deliverer; Make no tarrying, O my God." — Psalms 40:17 (ASV)

But I am poor and needy. In this concluding clause, he mingles prayer with thanksgiving, although it may be that he records a request he had made when he was placed in extreme danger. The first clause of the verse might be rendered this way: Although I was miserable and poor, God thought of me.

In proportion as anyone is afflicted and consequently despised by the world, we tend to imagine that God also disregards them. We must, therefore, steadfastly maintain that our miseries in no way cause God to feel weary of us, so that it would become troublesome for Him to help us.

However, let us rather interpret the clause this way: When I was miserable and poor, the Lord looked upon my necessity. Thus, this circumstance enhances the grace of God. If God anticipates us with His goodness and does not wait until adversity presses upon us, then His favor towards us is not as apparent.

This comparison, therefore, very clearly illustrates the glory of God in David's deliverance, inasmuch as He deigned to extend His hand to a man who was despised and rejected by all, indeed, who was destitute of all help and hope. Now, if it was necessary for David to be reduced to this extremity, it is no wonder if people in more private stations are often humbled in this way, so that they may truly feel and acknowledge that they have been delivered from despair by God's hand.

The simple and natural meaning of the prayer is this: Lord, You are my help and my deliverer; therefore, do not delay in coming to my aid. As it is a foolish thing to approach God with a doubtful and wavering mind, the Psalmist takes courage, as he was accustomed to do from his own experience, and persuades himself that God's help, by which he had been preserved until now, would not fail him.