The Pit

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me, (leaned)
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3

• Patiently- without complaining, with tolerance, good natured

This is one of my 3 favorite verses in Psalms. I always try to imagine an actual pit. My mind’s eye sees a dark hole with no light. The pit is surrounded by very wet clay which doesn’t allow for traction. The more I try to get out of the pit, the more difficult it becomes. In fact, if I move at all, I end up sinking deeper into the pit. Can you imagine the smell of wet clay & rot? I would be tempted to panic. After all, there is no light and no way out. I would be forced to wait. There are no solutions. Waiting is all you or I can do. If we are forced to wait, we may not be very patient, tolerant, or good natured.

This scripture is such a great reminder that God can do His greatest work in us when we are put in a position where we can’t do anything at all. We are forced to put complete reliance on our heavenly Father. Let’s face it. We all will find ourselves in a pit at some point. However, we have a God who can get us out of the pit, place us on firm ground, and establish our steps!

David went from pit to praise. Your new song is coming.