New Song in My Heart

Psalm 40:1-3
1 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.

I love the Psalms! I frequently hear, (guys in particular) say things like, "I don't really relate to the Psalms, after all, it's just a bunch of songs!" It is somewhat implied that it is not for real men. Say what?! Many of the Psalms were written by a very "real" man named David. He was maybe one of the most manly men of the bible. He was a warrior, giant slayer, bear & lion slayer, expert marksman (sling), leader of a nation, he was no wimp! He was also a skilled musician, and wrote many songs (Psalms) to the Lord, as well as about Him. This morning's Psalm has a powerful word for ALL believers. The truth found in the whole of Psalm 40 is powerful, but I'd like to focus on verses 1-3. These words are powerful words of exhortation and encouragement.

I've heard it said, "never pray for patience," because in order to grow in patience you must go through trials. But, the real stuff of life is largely grown with trial fertilizer. When you go through a trial, you have a unique opportunity to grow. God turns to us in those times and helps us the Psalm says. (40:2) I love the picture that David paints here. First, he turns to me. I think of times when I've taken a walk through the woods with one of my daughters. The footing would get treacherous and they would call out, "dad, wait up!" I usually wasn't listening as intensely as our Heavenly Father does, but that is an image of how I see it. He leads us along life's path. When we call out, He turns to help. Not only that, He comes to us, pulls us from our trouble, sets us upright, and helps us walk until we are steady again. Now, that picture is part of the mysteriousness of God. The Creator of all, the Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, will turn to help me when I call. In my mind, I can't fathom how God would care for me, as insignificant as I am in the overall scheme of things. In God's plan, my troubles are important enough for Him to stop, turn and help me, not only help, but see to it that I am able to continue the path. That path is important to Him as we'll see later in verse 3.

Then comes my favorite part. Because of His help, because of His love for me, a song is born in my heart. A "New Song," if you will. I don't sing that song because I'm supposed to, I sing it because I'm glad to. He restores me to the path and I can see with clearer vision the path He has for me. It's a beautiful path, a path that leads me to sing this new song. This is where a lot of guys will check out. They say, "I don't sing, I can't carry a tune in a bucket." I really don't see anywhere in the Bible where anyone is excused from singing because of being musically challenged. (So much for my soap box.)

The beauty of what happens when we sing comes in verse 3. It's an amazing thing when the watching world sees God lift one of His children out of a pit, and they immediately begin to praise Him. Verse 3 says, "Many will see and...put their trust in Him.

No matter where you find yourself today, or whatever trial you are struggling with, turn to Him. Be encouraged, He is there to help you. The really beautiful thing is that someone might just move closer to God just watching you. God won't waste any hurt, and He will lift you out of that smelly pit and give you a brand new song. So SING!