Psalm 40:1-3 - Waiting On God Brings Blessings.
Psalm 40:1-3 - Waiting On God Brings Blessings.
Psalm 40:1-3 (NKJV) I waited patiently for the Lord; And He
inclined to me, And heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a
horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And
established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth-- Praise to our
God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3 (NIV) 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 and put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3 (NLT) I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit
of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid
ground and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song
to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has
done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3 (AMP) I WAITED patiently and expectantly for the
Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up out of a
horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay
(froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and
establishing my goings. 3 And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of
praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put
their trust and confident reliance in the Lord.
CONTEXT
While experiencing trials at the hands of his enemies, David
asked God for help, but the answer did not come immediately. He
waited--and then God worked! What a change took place: David went from a pit
to a highway, from miry clay to a rock, and from crying to singing!
[Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe re vv. 1-3]
Waiting for God to help us is not easy, but David received four
benefits from waiting: (1) God lifted him out of his despair, (2) God set
his feet on solid ground, (3) God steadied him as he walked, and (4)
God put a new song of praise in his mouth. Often blessings cannot be
received unless we go through the trial of waiting. [Life Application SB
re vv. 1-3]
COMMENTARY APPLICATION
I began playing the organ at church at age twelve and thought
church attendance and "working for God" would earn me God's love and
serve as my entry into God's Kingdom. Desperate for accolades and
praise, I dedicated myself totally to my work as a church musician. But
at age thirty-six, I found myself in total physical, mental, and
spiritual collapse. Confused--even to the point of contemplating suicide--I
asked God why he no longer needed my help. As I hit bottom, a woman
asked me to read Psalm 40. She told me to write "Lord, help me" beside
the psalm and wait on God. It took months, but God did help me.
Years later, at age sixty-seven, I am reminded daily that God
heard my cry. I now understand that my life is not a quest for
personal accolades but a journey of obedience. God doesn't need me to
work for him. He just desires my faithfulness. He has truly put a new
song in my mouth--and many have seen what he has done.
Are you "working for God" or are you letting God "work in
you"? Cry out to God. He hears you. Stand on Jesus the Christ, the
Rock, and let him lift you out of that "pit of despair." Put your
trust in him alone, and he will give you, too, a new song.
Shirley Lindsay, a speaker, is also a sixty-seven-year-old(!)
student at Denver Seminary, studying for her MA in Counseling Ministry
and Chaplaincy. [The One Year Bible Live Verse Devotional re vv.
1-3]
I noticed these verses from Psalm 40 shortly after my first
book--a testimony of God's grace in a difficult marriage--came into
print. Although I'd read them previously, this time, it was suddenly
like looking in a mirror. I had fallen prey to self-pity (funny how
part of that word is pit) when my youth-pastor husband turned
agnostic.
Working through grief over the loss of our spiritual oneness,
I succumbed to disappointment, despair, and defeat. But God gently
began teaching me rock-solid truths that defied the lies around me. As
he redeemed my mind from destructive and sinful thinking, I
experienced the power of his invincible hope.
In fact, I now teach others the fastest way out of the pit of
despair: climbing the ladder of praise, rung by rung, praising God for
his blessings. And yes, many have seen and been amazed by the power
of God at work in me and my husband, who allows me to share our
story and my faith even though he still rejects the Savior. Those who
hear how God set my feet back on solid ground respond by also
trusting the One who is faithful to change us--even when our situations
don't.
I'm counting on many more years of proving these verses true
in my walk with the Lord.
Nancy Sebastian Meyer, a speaker, Bible teacher, musician,
and the author of Beyond Expectations, Spiritually Single Moms, and
Talk Easy, Listen Hard, is the founder of hope4hearts. [The One Year
Bible Live Verse Devotional re v. 2, 3]
Helmut Thielicke preached in Stuttgart, Germany, during World
War II. Under regular bombardment from Allied aircraft, fires swept
through the city, killing thousands of people and destroying or damaging
tens of thousands of buildings, including many churches. The people
lived with the knowledge--and fear--that bombs could fall again at any
time. "Here we are gathered in a ruin," Thielicke told his listeners,
"and here I am standing in my old army boots, because I no longer
possess proper clothes."
He admitted that, like everyone else, he at times felt
utterly stricken, his ministry in pieces amid all the churches in rubble
and ashes. Yet he proclaimed, "The greatest mysteries of God are
always enacted in the depths. God's rule grows mighty in the midst of
terrors."
His listeners had lost sons in distant battles. In the
bombings, loved ones died beside them. Their livelihoods and possessions
were gone, their fears constant. Yet, Thielicke said, "We learned
more, and probably also experienced more, about the kingdom of God in
the crash of air raids and the terrors of our cellars and
underground shelters than in those peaceful and almost utopian times of
comfort and well-being."
In our day, we may not experience all-out war, yet a sense of
comfort and well-being often eludes us. We see on our media screens
violence erupting all over the globe. We see terrorism's victims. The
world seems unstable, and we try not to think about all the ways
catastrophe could shatter our own town or city.
If the worst were to happen, how would we respond? What
spiritual depths might we experience? Would we find faith and hope more
necessary than even food and water?
In times of crisis, we are rushed to consider issues of
eternity. The transitory and superficial fade. We call on the Father to
rescue, comfort, and enable us not only to endure but also to sense his
presence.
Thielicke acknowledged what many of his congregation had
recently experienced: "The person who has gone through nights of bombing
with his hand in God's and has said to himself, when sirens were
screaming and shaking, 'If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we
die to the Lord,' that person has experienced the hand of God with a
new reality he will never forget."
Lord, help me to live in your presence, even if the worst
happens. Help me to deepen my trust in you. Lead me each day so that
whatever comes, I will sense your presence.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and
the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked
along. Psalm 40:2 NLT [The One Year Book of Encouragement by Harold
Myra re. v. 2]
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
A Better Way to Live: http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Grace Notes: http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php
Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/
More Spiritual Resources: http://www.aBible.com
