Psalm 40:1-3 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.
How many times have we felt like we were living in a slimy pit? I know for me I could say many, many times. Our “pits” are different for every person. Some of you may be suffering from the loss of a loved one, illness, financial problems, or maybe depression and anxiety. We all have needs and burdens that weigh us down to the point where we feel hopeless and at the end of our rope. It’s at these times where are faith is tested to our natural limits. Waiting patiently can be so hard, but it is also how God is glorified through hardship. God knows our needs and knows our pain. He allows us to go through storms so we can lean on Him.
Verse 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
Waiting patiently shows trust in the Lord. Trust to let God work through us and our situation. So many times we get tired of waiting and decide to attempt to take things into our own hands. We miss out on letting God hear our cry and turn to help us. We miss out on the blessing of knowing that the God of the universe cares about our burdens and wants us to cry out to Him for help.
Verse 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Biblical commentary suggests that the pit David is referring to is probably a deep well. It would mean certain death if no rescuer came to pull a person out. They would actually keep sinking the more they tried to climb out on their own. For God to lift us out of our pit, we have to rely on Him to do it. He is our rescuer! We are incapable of standing on a firm foundation alone. Jesus is our rock! How can we stand strong without Him? Why would we want to? I know every time in my life when I try to fix myself I quickly learn I cannot do it.
Verse 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.
I love how after the storm we can look back and see God’s hands at work. It’s often difficult to understand why we are going through certain things at the time, but so many times we can reflect on the past and see how great God really is. We have all had the feeling that we couldn’t possibly make it through. Its then that we need our Heavenly Father the most. He is so good to us. Even when it doesn’t seem like He’s listening, He is! How many lives do we touch by our example of trusting God in the good times and the bad?
Our most difficult times shows the world how glorious our Savior is. Has anyone ever asked you, “I don’t see how you made it through?” That is our opportunity to glorify the strength of God in our weakness. A testimony of relying on God Almighty to pull us through can be such an inspiration and encouragement to others. God uses us and our situations to show His love, mercy and power to a world that without Him is hopeless and lost.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise you in the storm. We thank you for being strength in our weakness. We love you and thank you for everything that you have lead us through. Help us Lord to lean on you and rely on you. Let others see you in us and come to know you as their personal Lord and Savior. Lead, Guide and direct us in all we do. In Jesus name, Amen.
ourfathersgrace.com 