Daily Devotional

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 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. 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.

Recently I read Psalm 40, and a line from verse 3 jumped out at me: “He put a new song in my mouth.”  

I prayed quietly: “Lord, I could really use a new song in my heart.” I felt thin and stretched, “like butter scraped over too much bread” – to quote a line from the Hobbit.

And then my eye jumped back to verse 1…“I waited patiently for the Lord.”

That’s when I realized I’m not a very patient person. I have a tendency to skip ahead. I like to jump to verse 3 and avoid verses 1 and 2 altogether. I want a new song…but I don’t want to pay the price for it.  

Slimy pits, mud and mire? Waiting patiently, and crying out? “No thanks, Lord. Can’t I just skip that part?”

But the best songs are often born out of grief. Without the slimy pit, there would be no deliverance. No rescue. No redemption. No deep encounter with God. And no new song!  

What is the “new song” David writes about in these verses? It’s a hymn of praise to our God – a testimony of his saving power.

I have one last confession. When I first read this psalm I automatically thought it said, “He put a new song in my heart.” But that’s not what it says! It says: “He put a new song in my mouth.” And there’s a big difference.

Sometimes when God gives us a new song, we keep it to ourselves. But songs are meant to be sung. Praises are meant to be declared. And stories are meant to be told.

If you have a new song in your heart – a hymn of praise to God – share it with others! Click on the “God Sightings” link on the church website and tell us your story. Or email it to me. I would love to hear your song, so I can sing it with you.
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