Psalm 40:1-3 - Waiting On God Brings Blessings.
Psalm 40:1-3 - Waiting On God Brings Blessings.
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.
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]
The more we are acquainted with the way a deer functions in
its natural habitat, the more clearly we can see the spiritual
lessons that God wants us to learn. While the male deer, the hart, is a
wonderful example of sure-footedness, still more wonderful is the female,
the hind. Those who have watched it leading its young into the
hidden fastnesses of the mountain peaks say it is the most perfect
example of physical coordination that God ever made.
Why is this physical coordination so important?
When a deer moves upwards over a steep mountain slope, it
proceeds by leaping from one spot to another. So it needs to be certain
that its back feet will land on something solid. By positioning its
front feet on something secure, it instinctively knows that if its
rear feet land there also, it will proceed upwards in safety. If this
were not so, and the deer's back feet were to land on a loose rock,
then it would slip and meet with serious injury - perhaps even death.
This sense of perfect coordination is not something the deer learns;
it is an instinctive ability given to it by its Creator.
And what God has done for the deer in the natural realm, He
is able to do for us in the spiritual realm. Listen to the words of
the psalmist: "He makes my feet like the feet of a deer" (Ps 18:33).
Note the word "makes." I find that deeply encouraging. It is not
something I have to achieve on my own; He has a part in it too. And, may I
add - the biggest part.
O Father, help me understand that although You have the
biggest part in making my feet like hind's feet, it cannot be
accomplished unless I, too, do my part. Thus I willing surrender to Your
divine purposes. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. [Every Day With Jesus
Bible with Selwyn Hughes devotional re Psa. 40:2]
ILLUSTRATIONS
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]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
I am the Foundation and Focus of your life. I am a firm
Foundation: one that will not be shaken. Before you knew Me as Savior, you
had nothing to build your life upon. Every time you tried to create
something meaningful, it would eventually collapse - like a house of
cards. Without Me, everything is ultimately "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
Ever since I became your Savior, you have been building on the Rock
of My Presence. Some of the things you've worked on have flourished
and others have not, but you always have a firm place to stand - on
the foundation I've provided for you.
The key to steadiness in your life is to set Me always before
you. When you make Me your Focus, you can walk steadily along your
life-path. Many distractions will vie for your attention along the way, but
I am the Guide who is continually before you. So keep looking
ahead to Me. See Me beckoning you on - step by step by step - all the
way to heaven. (Ecc. 1:2; 2Sa. 22:47; Psa. 40:2; 16:8) [Jesus Today
by Sarah Young]
Self-pity is a slimy, bottomless pit. Once you fall in, you
tend to go deeper and deeper into the mire. As you slide down those
slippery walls, you are well on your way to depression, and the darkness
is profound.
Your only hope is to look up and see the Light of My Presence
shining down on you. Though the Light looks dim from your perspective,
deep in the pit, those rays of hope can reach you at any depth. While
you focus on Me in trust, you rise ever so slowly out of the abyss
of despair. Finally, you can reach up and grasp My hand. I will
pull you out into the Light again. I will gently cleanse you, washing
off the clinging mire. I will cover you with My righteousness and
walk with you down the path of Life. (Psa. 40:2, 3; 42:5; 147:11)
[Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
Trust Me in every detail of your life. Nothing is random in
My kingdom. Everything that happens fits into a pattern for good,
to those who love Me. Instead of trying to analyze the intricacies
of the pattern, focus your energy on trusting Me and thanking Me at
all times. Nothing is wasted when you walk close to Me. Even your
mistakes and sins can be recycled into something good, through My
transforming grace.
While you were still living in darkness, I began to shine the
Light of My Presence into your sin-stained life. Finally, I lifted you
up out of the mire into My marvelous Light. Having sacrificed My
very Life for you, I can be trusted in every facet of your life.
(Jer. 17:7; Rom. 8:28; Psa 40:2; 1 Pet. 2:9) [Jesus Calling by Sarah
Young]
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDY:
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
LINKS FOR PROPHECY SEMINARS:
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor (new series!):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Revelation Today by Pastor John Bradshaw:
https://revelationtoday.com/other-streams/
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
