He put a new song in my mouth.
Psalm 40:1-3
The psalmist proclaimed that God gave him a new song. This announcement came from a personal experience of waiting upon the Lord.
For many, waiting sounds stressful and burdensome. Waiting can sometimes cause frustration, annoyance, and an overall negative deportment. But with God, waiting can offer amazing blessings. Consider the joyous reality of waiting upon the Lord as described in Psalm 40:1-3.
1 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.
From the opening verses of Psalm 40, waiting upon God results in three significant blessings.
First, David was lifted from an attitude of despair (verse 1). With a heavy heart David cried out to God, and God heard his plea. As proven with David, God gives attention to our cries. He actually hears. He knows. When considering the context of the above verses, David had human reason to panic and to feel overwhelmed. Nonetheless, God heard his cry. The context of the entire Psalm proves that God lifted His servant David from an attitude of despair to one of praise. Even before God tangibly proved His deliverance, the distraught disposition of the psalmist was transformed to one of hope in God.
Second, God made the steps of David firm (verse 2). The imagery of this verse is amazingly descriptive. A “pit of destruction” and “miry clay” represented for David an unimaginably deep place of despair caused by his enemies. The earth itself, the miry clay of a pit intended to capture and destroy, represented the distraught experiences of David’s life as his enemies pursued him. But God reached down and lifted him up. When David had no safe place to stand, God placed his feet upon the rock. The imagery of the rock represented for David that firm stronghold of confidence and trust in God even in the face of enemies. The language here has a tone of resurrection language: “he lifted me up.” This powerfully foreshadows the resurrection of our Lord, as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, offering eternal life to all who trust Him. Our steps are made firm as we trust in the deliverance of Christ our Lord.
Third, God gave David a new song (verse 3). With a heavy heart David cried out to God and waited for God to act. And God acted on David’s behalf in a powerful way. He took away David’s despair. He set David’s feet on a firm place. He gave David a new song. The “new song” expresses a fresh voice of praise from a renewed perspective of God. How many are those who stand in need of a new song. From despair to singing, David looked past the threat of his enemies. Before he saw the fullness of God’s deliverance, he had a new song because his hope and trust had been renewed from waiting upon and hoping in the Lord. A new song. A renewed voice of praise.
Waiting upon the Lord expresses our living hope in God’s Word, our dependence upon His nature, and our assured faith in Him. It is little wonder, then, that David’s waiting resulted in God taking away his despair and placing his feet on the solid foundation of trust. And, most certainly one can understand why David had a new song.
So today, wait upon God to move in your circumstance. And, as you wait upon the Lord, get ready to sing a new song. For, in your waiting you will gain a fresh perspective of God as you truly place your hope and expectation in Him.
Are you ready for a new song? Wait upon the Lord in hope, expectation and assurance.
Blessings in Christ,
Ken
READ
Today, read and meditate upon Psalm 40.
