474_Converting our tears into a new song

Psalm 40:1-10 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He 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.

4 Blessed is the man who makes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You 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.

6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”

9 I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.

In a small mining town nestled in the hills of Wales, a young boy fell into an abandoned mine shaft. No one knew he was there. Hours passed. Cold and darkness surrounded him. His cries echoed in the hollow pit, but there was no response. Above, a frantic search was underway. Finally, a passerby heard his shouts and gathered the townspeople. Afer several long hours, a rescue team managed to pull him out. The boy later said, “I kept yelling, but after a while, I realized I just had to trust that someone would come. I couldn’t get out on my own.”

This is David’s story in Psalm 40. He finds himself in a similar pit—not a physical one, but a spiritual and emotional one. He calls it a “pit of destruction” and a “miry bog.” It is a place of helplessness, confusion, and despair. There was no way out unless God intervened. And in that dark place, David waited—not passively, but patiently and actively—hoping in the Lord.

David wasn’t rescued because of his strength or cleverness, but because he trusted that Someone was listening. “I waited patiently for the Lord,” he says in verse 1, “and he inclined to me and heard my cry.” In the Hebrew, the word waiting is not associated with helplessness but with expectant watchfulness. It is like the dawn-watchers waiting for the first glimpse of sunrise.

While David waited, he didn’t abandon his responsibilities. Like Joseph in the prison who remained faithful even when forgotten by the cupbearer for two long years, David trusted that God’s timing was perfect. Waiting on God doesn’t mean doing nothing; it means fulfilling the tasks God has already given us, knowing that He is working behind the scenes.

And then, God lifts David out of the pit, sets his feet upon a rock, and makes his steps secure. And David says, “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” Deliverance gives birth to worship. A cry from the pit becomes a testimony of praise.

David says, “Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” God can turn every trial into a song and a rescue that others can hear and see and find hope in.
In other words, our testimony is not just about what God has done for us—it is also about what He can do for others. Our new song becomes a call for others to trust Him too.

What does it mean to wait and trust in the Lord? David answers in verse 4: “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie.” Waiting on the Lord means to avoid shortcuts when we are in trouble. It means not putting our confidence in those who trust in their own ability or power. It means avoiding lies that promise quick fixes. It means patiently waiting, knowing that the Lord will deliver us, even when the wait feels long and hard.

David declares, “I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.” How many are the wonders that God works in each of our lives! And David is determined to proclaim as much as he can. He will not keep his deliverance private, but declares God’s manifold help publicly among his people, overflowing with thankfulness.

And thankful love helps David discern what God really wants from each man. It’s not religious ceremonies or offerings, but a heart that delights to do God’s will. “Sacrifice and offering you have not desired… but I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” 1 Samuel 15:22 reminds us, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” God takes pleasure, not in the outward show of worship but the inward surrender of the will.

But it was not David, but David’s greater Son, Jesus Christ, who fulfilled God’s will in heartfelt, uninterrupted submission, even to the cross. He didn’t just bring a sacrifice; He was the sacrifice. He delivered us from sin, becoming our atonement through his obedience. And God delivered him from death.

The second half of the psalm reveals the pit of darkness that trapped David. He confesses, “My iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see.” He is overwhelmed by his innumerable sins, yet he does not despair. He cries out: “Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me! O Lord, make haste to help me!”

And this may happen even after we’ve experienced God’s saving grace. We still fall into sin. But God hears and rescues us in his faithfulness, time and again.

David’s foes sought to harm him. Like him, we battle sin within and opposition without. We are surrounded by spiritual powers of evil who delight in our fall. But like David, we know that those who seek the Lord will rejoice and be glad. Beset by the knowledge of his sins, attacked by his enemies, his helplessness bursts forth in this humble confession: “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.” What a stunning statement. The great God of heaven thinks about the poor and needy. He is our help and our deliverer.

Whenever we are overwhelmed and see no way out, let us wait for the Lord. Let us cry out to Him in trust. Let us remain faithful in small things even as we wait. Let us avoid shortcuts. Let us place our confidence where it belongs, in our God, and not in people or schemes.

Let us be honest about your sins. Let us not hide them but confess them. Let us call upon the Lord for mercy, knowing He is rich in grace.

And when He delivers us, let us sing a new song of praise, so that others can be encouraged to trust him and find life in him. Finally, let us not substitute religious activity for the obedience of faith. God desires the love of our hearts, the submission of our wills. Let our devotion flow from hearts that love to do what he thinks good.

Even when we feel poor and insignificant, the Lord takes thought for us. He has not forgotten us. He knows us by name, and he will help and deliver.

Let us wait on Him day by day—even in the midst of impossible situations. Your story, like David’s, can become a new song of deliverance and praise. And it may be just the thing that someone else needs to hear to put their trust in the Lord. God bless.