Read Psalm 40:1-5. 1I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. 4Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! 5You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
Finally, after several psalms of desperate waiting and wondering through the distresses of sin and suffering, the rescue has come. God has finally inclined to him and heard David’s cry. God has bent down to the troubled king’s level and riveted his attention on David. The long awaited rescue is now swift and complete. Not a mere extraction from the pit, but a placement on the solid rock.
David’s response is just as powerful. Full of gratitude, yes, the song of praise rises to Heaven. But his response is also full of faith. Trust in the Lord’s past deeds but also in the Lord’s future thoughts. “I know what you have done for me and I know what you will do for me, and I will proclaim it as best I can so that others see and fear the Lord too.”
So let me ask you, is a Psalm 40 style rescue something that you are still waiting for, or something that you have already experienced in Christ? Are you out of the pit and on the rock, or still sinking in the miry bog? Is a new song of praise to Christ the King in your mouth, or are the blues playing on repeat in your heart? Are you able to proclaim God’s wondrous deed in your life? Or are you still waiting on your miracle to happen? Your rescue to come? Your wondrous deed to occur?
To live is Christ is to know that in him God has inclined to you. He has bent down to hear and to save. He has set you on the rock of Christ Jesus where you today and every day live secure in him.
You: Do you think of your Christian experience as “waiting to be rescued,” or “already rescued?”
You in Christ: How can knowing that you have been rescued in Christ and placed on the solid rock transform your perspective today?
Christ in you: Where and when can you proclaim God’s wondrous deeds for you in Christ?
Prayer. Father, through Christ you came down to my level and pulled me out of the pit. Now my feet are on the rock of your love and grace. May I praise you with a new song today and every day forever. Amen.
To Live is Christ 