A New Song

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Scripture: Psalm 40:1-3 (NIV)

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.

 

Devotion:

 

            The scripture for today is a hymn of praise to our God. In the larger psalm we see this theme and a section of complaint and petition. It opens, however, with a hymn of praise to God for all the wonderful things He has done. The psalmist begins by professing that he has been waiting for the Lord. Waiting is a lost art in our modern microwave, smartphone, instant everything culture. If we wait for more than a few seconds for anything we begin to feel the impatience growing in our bodies.

 

            God is a big enough God to deal with our impatient nature. We need to trust in Him more because we know that although waiting seems impossible, it is not at all impossible. We must keep the eyes of our heart fixed on the blessing the Lord has in store for us at the end of our waiting. The book of Hebrews talks about early Christians refusing to recant their faith in Jesus because they were certain of the blessings that awaited them on the other side.

 

            Furthermore, the psalmist declares that God will lift us out of the nasty, slimy pit in which we find ourselves in. God’s loving kindness toward His children is without comparison. God himself is our rock a firm and stable place to stand through the trials and tribulations of this earthly life we share. God has elsewhere promised to make us clean and spotless so that we can stand before the heavenly throne and be declared innocent by God the judge of all humankind.

 

            Finally, God puts a new song in the psalmist's mouth. Living in this world can leave us singing any number of awful melodies in our hearts. Retailers have long used canned music to make shopping less boring and encourage buying. On the radio or TV, we are constantly bombarded with music that is meant to entice you into sin. Some of it is downright blasphemous. When we turn to God, he puts a different kind of tune in our hearts and in our mouths. Therefore, let us turn our hearts and voices over to God so that we can see and hear him always. 


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