When You’re in the Pit, Look Forward to Your New Song

There are certain ways you can tell you’re getting old.  From knees that audibly creak when I first walk across the floor in the morning to a new wrinkle I spotted on my face last month, there’s no denying it.

While trying to find some music on Alexa recently, I realized that the songs from my past tend to date me as well.  I used to think of “oldies” as the tunes my parents listened to when they were teenagers, back in the 50’s and 60’s.  However, considering that I went through my teen years during the 80’s, my music might now be considered “oldies” as well, especially to my own teenage daughters.  Somehow that hurts!!

Today I wanted to look at how we can get a new song.  Maybe life has drained us of our old song.  Trials and difficulties might be keeping our voices silent.  But whatever song we’ve had in the past, or how quiet our soul feels today, God can give us a new one.

This passage from Psalm 40 talks about getting that new song

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.”  ~Psalm 40:1-3

1. It starts with waiting. 

There it is, y’all.  It seems inescapable, that patiently waiting part that’s so hard to do in our flesh.  We want right-now solutions and instant relief.  But David says he waited patiently.  He didn’t get annoyed with delays or anxious about the problems in front of him.  He was calm, and didn’t complain.  Ouch!  I’ll confess that my waiting doesn’t always look like that.

2. We call out to the Lord.

In our waiting, we cry out to God.  Yes, He already knows our situation.  But when we come to the place where we recognize that we need His deliverance, we can look up to Him and seek His help.

3. The pit is horrible.

Your pit may be different than mine.  The pit could be divorce, sickness, a lost friendship, a rebellious child, thwarted dreams, financial troubles, job failure, a terminal diagnosis, or a death in the family.  It can be a dirty, muddy, sticky place in life that we desperately need to be rescued from.

4. God delivers us.

In this life and for eternity, only God can save us.  Not only does He bring us up out of the pit, but He also puts us on a firm foundation.  He sets us on a path back to safety.

5. He puts the new song in our mouth.

As he lifts us out of the pit to a place of safety, God gives us a new song to sing.  No matter what our old song was, we now have a new one.  God has once again been faithful.  And this leads right into the next one.

6. The new song is all about praising Him.

The pit was hard and dark and deep, but God rescued us.  No matter what we just came through, He is worthy of our praise.

7. Our new song is a testimony to others.

God brought us up.  We waited, we called, He delivered.  We can use our pit experience to teach others about trusting Him.  As we’re willing, God can use what we went through to glorify Himself.

Whether you’re in the waiting, in the pit, or up on top of the rock, know that God gives the new song.  And remember, this new song…it’s a song that we wouldn’t have gotten without the waiting and the pit.  It’s even sweeter because we remember what we came through to get the song.  The learning to wait, to trust, and to obey makes the new song a sweet melody that glorifies God and testifies to others.

Related posts:
Just a Fancy Way to Say We Need to Learn to Wait
“Hurry Up, and Bring the Bill” ~ Not My Finest Patience Moment
He is My Strength, My Song, My Salvation