Psalm 40

God Is Always With Us—In Our Trials 

A Psalm of David

 1   I waited  patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry.

 2   He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,

     And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

 3   He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God—

    Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.  

 4   How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,

     And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

 5   Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done—

    And Your thoughts toward us, there is none to compare with You.

    If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.

 6  Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired. My ears You have opened—

   Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. 

 

 7   Then I said, “Behold, I come.  In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 

 8   I delight to do Your will, O my God.  Your Law is within my heart.” 

 9   I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation.

     Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O Lord, You know.

 10  I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart—

     I  have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation.  I have not concealed

     Your  lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.

 11  You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me.

     Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.  

 12  For evils beyond number have surrounded me 

    My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see.

    They are more numerous than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me.

 13  Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me, make haste, O Lord, to help me.

 14  Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who seek my life to destroy it.

        Let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt.

 15  Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, aha!”  

 16  Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You.

     Let those who love Your salvation say continually, “The Lord be magnified!”

 17  Since I am afflicted and needy, let the Lord be mindful of me.

     You are my help and my deliverer—do not delay, O my God. 

 

I waited patiently for the Lord… He brought me up out of the pit of destruction…  

He put a new song in my mouth.

That is real faith!   To wait patiently, He will deliver, and puts a new song in my mouth [heart].  ut of our heart our mouth speaks.  We love and trust Him for just what He is.  Our heavenly Father—and we are his servants.   

The pit could be any of a number of life’s trials

If you have not yet cried out to God to save you from judgment and eternal punishment for your sins, then you are in a deep pit with no human way out.  

Your pit could be poor health, the loss of your job, former friends that turned against you, an unfaithful mate, rebellious children, or any overwhelming problem. You may be responsible for being in your pit, or you may be a victim of the sins of others.  

When you’re in the pit, you’ll be tempted to get yourself out of the pit

“How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust…”   It’s very easy to grab the situation and take any seeming way of escape.  Even if it means compromising your faith. The proud are those that boast in their own abilities. They don’t recognize or admit any personal weakness.  By their own ingenuity and effort, they will get out of their crisis on their own.  

The way out of the pit is to wait intently on the Lord

Turning to and waiting on the Lord is the common theme of Scripture.  In Psalm 37:7: “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.”  In Psalm 37:9: “For evildoers will be cut off…   and again, Psalm 37:34: “Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you… when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.”  

When the Lord rescues you – proclaim His goodness !

 

“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear

 and will trust in the Lord.”

David testifies to the blessing that is with the one who makes the Lord his trust.  He exalts God for His many wonders and His thoughts towards us. He affirms, “I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation—behold, I will not restrain my lips, O Lord, You know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation.  I have not concealed your lovingkindness and Your truth from all people.”