“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” (Psalm 40:1-3).
In his first commentary on the book of Psalms in The People’s Bible® series, Professor John F. Brug wrote this about the verses quoted above from Psalm 40:
In these verses the psalmist [David] expresses thanksgiving for deliverance from death. . . . They would be a beautiful prayer anytime a Christian experiences deliverance from death after an accident or serious illness. However, they are most meaningful as a prayer of the Messiah after his resurrection. When God the Father raised Christ from the pit of death, Jesus sent the “new song” of the gospel throughout the world so that many would put their trust in the Lord. (Psalms 1-72, Northwestern Publishing House, pp. 166-167)
The psalms are the beautiful songs and powerful prayers of Old Testament believers, but they were also the songs and prayers of our Savior. Verses from the psalms were even some of the final words Jesus spoke before his death on the cross, in fulfillment of all Scripture that was written about him: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”(Psalm 22:1). “Into your hands I commit my spirit”(Psalm 31:5).
Jesus himself reminded his disciples of that after his resurrection: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44).
As I reflected on what Professor Brug wrote, this phrase stood out to me: “[These words] are most meaningful as a prayer of the Messiah after his resurrection” (emphasis mine).
Jesus knew that it was God’s will for him to suffer and die for the sins of the whole world. That was what he came to do as the Savior: to take our place as a perfect substitute and sacrifice. He did that willingly because of his great love for us. Even in the face of death, Jesus had unwavering confidence that God would not abandon him to the grave. God would do exactly as he promised—namely, that he would raise Jesus from the dead. That’s why Jesus was able to wait patiently for the Lord to turn to him and hear his cry.
And that’s exactly why you and I, dear Christian, can do the same.
But so often, I don’t wait patiently for the Lord and his deliverance.
I’m not waiting to be rescued from the threat of death or a serious illness. But I wait for the Lord’s deliverance all the same—deliverance from troubles that overwhelm me, troubles too great for me to bear. And so I bring them to the Lord, just as he instructs. I call on him in the day of my trouble and wait for him to deliver me. And . . . I wait.
Sometimes, it feels like all I do is wait.
To my shame, I sometimes wonder, “Does the Lord hear my cry? Or will he let me go on sitting in this slimy pit, in the mud and mire all around me?”
If you’ve ever considered those same questions, then know this, dear Christian: Jesus waited patiently for the Lord’s deliverance . . . for you and me.
For all the times we don’t wait patiently, Jesus did. He trusted in the Lord’s deliverance and timing for all the times our trust wavers and doubt overwhelms us. And he was delivered from death so that we would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will also deliver us.
When? And how?
We might see momentary deliverance from some troubles in our lives, but we might not see deliverance from all of them. Some troubles might remain and plague us our whole lives. However, we will see God’s deliverance when he brings us out from all earthly troubles, sorrows, and woes and into his loving presence at home with him in heaven.
Why?
Because Jesus lives! And because he does, we do too. We do too.
We have a new song to sing, dear Christian—a hymn of praise to our God for all of the amazing and wonderful things he has done for us in Jesus. Let’s sing, with the hope that many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.
Looking to meditate on the words of Scripture? The popular People’s Bible series is a great place to start. Written by experienced pastors and professors, each easy-to-read volume helps enrich your study of the Bible and points you to its central focus—Jesus Christ. When you subscribe to this series, you’ll save 25% off the regular price of each of the 41 volumes!
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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