Psalm 41:1 (ESV) … “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him...”
Rotherham substitutes the word “helpless” for the word “poor.” David was referring to himself and he certainly was not poor. The word means “dangling” or “slacking” or “letting go.” The margin of the Scofield Bible renders it “the weak” or “the sick.” That was David’s condition.
What happened to David—to the mighty man who could tackle a lion and a bear and in single-handed combat rout the giant of Gath? What happened to the warrior-king who never lost a battle and who raised the Hebrew people from a dozen squabbling tribes into an international power? As the Hebrew of the passage suggests, he had been letting things go.
That’s his condition. Matters of state slipped away from him; he no longer had a firm hand on the helm of the kingdom; he was a weakling. That is what sin did for David and what sin will do for everyone. But David was a contrite and a humble man. He was letting go in another sense: “let go and let God.” The Lord would deliver him in time of trouble.[1]
What things do you need to let go of and let God have control? What is the true condition of our lives before Holy God? We are all weak and helpless. Our true hope will always be in God and not ourselves.
[1] Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Psalms 1–88: An Expository Commentary (Vol. 1, Ps 41:1). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.