Today at church we were reading from the Book of Psalms 40:1-3. We designated versus 2 and 3. The passage says, “I waited patiently for the Lord: and he inclined onto me and heard my cry. He brought up also out of an horrible pit, out of miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.”
This is profound to me simply reading it straight from my bible, but the way my Pastor broke it down made it even more amazing. David waited patiently for the Lord. He wasn’t anxious, trying to hurry the Lord, or even tried to fix the problem himself, he just simply waited because he had faith that God would help him. He explains that he even envisions God hearing his cries, giving faith that the Lord was with him and he had no doubt that God knew what he was going through and was prepared to rescue him.
Following, with the reference of the horrible pit, we can relate this to our lives. Where were you when God saved you? If you’re not saved, where are you at in this moment in time? This horrible pit to you could be different from anyone else’s. The horrible pit is a symbol of how we feel trapped in our own sinful lives and feel like there’s no way out, but David is telling you, God brought him out. This is reflecting God’s salvation that when we get saved we enter the family as a Child of God, who was in a dark sinful world, that no one can survive in without the help of God. God rescues. When you are in this horrible pit, you are a sinner, with no salvation. People don’t understand that sin is temporary satisfaction.
The miry clay represents that worldly sins around us that keep pulling us back to our pit and away from God. World sins don’t always mean the most common ones, like alcohol or drugs. We tend to forget ones like anger, backstabbing, hatred, jealousy, etc. We shouldn’t neglect realizing the sins that get shoved under the rug because of sins we see as “worse”. All sin is the same in God’s eyes, and they all end with the same result, which is DEATH and DESTRUCTION. So, God brought David UP and out of that miry clay (factors holing us back) and set his feet on a rock.
The rock is a representation of Jesus in this passage. When we are saved God places us on Jesus, meaning we are His. That rock signifies that we have a sure foundation. A relationship with the Lord is like building. Jesus if our foundation that is sturdy so that we can build something beautiful and magnificent with all the faith and hope in our rock, our foundation, our Jesus. You should never be at a stand still point in your faith. The building analogy comes to play when we think about our relationship with God. You should be rooted in Christ (foundation) but still growing in Christ. “A CHRISTIAN without CHRIST is just an IAN”. Continuing with the rock, there’s an image that can help you infer. The waves beat against you over time and they never grow weary. If you’re fighting waves, the waves won’t ever get tired, but your body will. With our feet upon the rock that is Jesus, we have a strong enough foundation to keep fighting those waves without ever doubting He will let you fall.
The Christian life turns every day into something meaningful. Living for Him means we have purpose and meaning. This is relating to how he establishes our goings. He gives us something to live for. He gives up Joy in a world full of sadness, Light in a world full of darkness, and Love in a world full of hate. We are on borrowed time in a world that is not meant for us, so living it for Him and with Him is the only way we can survive and make it to our everlasting home of Heaven.
Breaking down the last verse, He puts a new song in your mouth, giving you a new choice of words, worship, and a new sight to see the world through the lenses of a child of God. When it says many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord, it is giving you a confirmation that you gaining salvation gives you a new role of leadership in the world. When worshiping and praising Him, remember that He is worthy of our praise regardless of our insecurities. Being embarrassed of worshiping the way He makes you feel you want to should never be prevalent, because He is not ashamed of you. You worship and how you portray your walk with christianity is a reflection to the world. You persuade non-believers by showing living proof through your everyday life that He works through us for the good to help with the worse. You persuade others from your life that they should all of their trust into Him to receive what you have: HOPE, LOVE, JOY, PEACE, and EVERLASTING LIFE.
