Joyful Ruins

Psalm 40: 1-3

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.

Here are some reflections I had on Psalm 40 and some others’ reflections I appreciated:

“While in his pit, David had to do only one thing- wait patiently for the LORD- God did everything else.” – The Louder Song

“And above all, remember this- our hope in suffering is never found by ‘looking on the bright side’. Hope for the Christian is always about the object of our hope, Jesus. He is on the throne, in control, and bringing about the renewal of all who call upon His name. He sees what you are going through and will reveal His love to you in new, incredible ways. Just you wait.” – The Louder Song

My reflections:

Waiting on God while you suffer and while things aren’t seemingly going well is so hard. But when you are in a pit, you can’t really get yourself out of it. You HAVE to wait on the Lord to rescue you. I don’t like that to be honest.

I love my God and I know He is good, but waiting on Him to rescue me from my pain is contrary to everything I am. I guess that is exactly why He takes us there. Waiting on God to rescue you is character and heart changing like no other experience is.

He put a new song in my mouth. A song of praise to our God. – When David wrote that, he began this passage with the reality that he was in a pit, a dark season of suffering. “He put a new song in my mouth” says to me that when you are going through the dark valleys of life, it is truth that He is and will put a new song in your mouth.

It’s new, right? So it’s not like you know the lyrics or the tune. It takes time to learn and it take time to enjoy and sing it. You won’t get it right off the bat. And remember, HE puts it in your mouth. Stay close to Him while in the pit. Tell yourself this truth today in the midst of your darkest night: God is putting a new song in me.

Father, give me the grace I need to learn the song you are teaching me in this dark pit. Lord, put a new song in my mouth, a beautiful, melodious, joyous song that I will know so well that I can sing it to others and sing for the rest of my life within my soul. Lord, let me be patient to learn the words, the notes, all the intricate details of this song. Help me to trust You to put in my mouth too, knowing, believing that you are putting a new song in my mouth in the midst of this dark season. In Jesus name, Amen.

Psalm 40:3 He gave me a new song to sing. It is a hymn of praise to our God. Many people will see and have respect for the LORD. They will put their trust in him. – How did David receive a new song to sing?

Through suffering. In the pit.

For what reason did this suffering and new song come to be?

In order to praise God, to show people who God is, and in order for others to put their trust in Him.

This is a mystery. When we suffer, I think one of the last things I am focusing on in the worst moments is that others will come to know Jesus through it. Why? Because I am suffering and that is where my focus is on. But God does something miraculous through our suffering when we choose to look to Him. We won’t do it perfectly, but even so, God works in a way that draws people to Him through our suffering. It’s not our ability that makes this happen, it’s just God’s kingdom way.