Psalm 40 was written while David was being chased by Saul, who wanted to kill him. These first four verses below are personal; David describes the saving work of the Lord. David then calls others to be blessed, to also see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
PSALM 40:1-4
1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
He inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
Pause for a few moments and think of times when you have been in a pit of destruction or in a miry bog. Have there been times in your life where you can see how the Lord saved you? If so, give thanks for such a great blessing. Perhaps you're in a struggle right now, and feel like these words describe your situation today. Cry to the Lord and wait patiently for the Lord to hear your cry and secure your steps.
There are some key words here for us; "patiently" and "making the Lord our trust". God is not a vending machine, promising to produce what we want if we ask with the right ______ [fill in the blank]. So we ask and wait patiently, trusting Him for His answer. This is what it means to "make God our trust"; He is the one thing in which we can always have confidence. God promises to do what is best for us, even if we never come to understand His choosing.
But here is one outcome this psalm describes, in which there is no doubt. These few verses paint a beautiful picture of God's forgiveness for our confessed sins. Everyday, God draws you and me up from the pit of sin's destruction! Everyday God pulls you and me out of the miry bog of guilt and shame. When we are forgiven and set free from our sins, we stand on the rock of our salvation, secure in Jesus, who took the sin punishment we deserve!
I pray for you today, that God will rescue you from your struggles and place your feet on secure footing. Even more importantly, I pray you make the Lord your trust by daily confessing your sins to Him, fully confident and sure of His forgiveness!
Singing a new song of praise to our God,
Pastor Mark
Pilgrim Lutheran Church, LCMS Burton, Michigan
We are Pilgrims with a Purpose: sharing God’s love & mercy with each other and the world.
office: 810.744.1188
mobile: 248.881.7627
Soli Deo Gloria
"But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head." Psalm 3:3
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