Psalm 40 – desperation to security

‘I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.’ (Psalm 40:1).

‘Dear God, I pray for patience, and I want it now!’ Most of us can identify with this prayer, especially as we face an uncertain future. Psalm 40:1-3 describes how David waited patiently on God (lit: ‘I waited, waited for the Lord.’). Do we also intensively wait on God?

David speaks of falling into a deep, dark well and sinking deep into the sludge: ‘a slimy pit of mud and mire’. This expresses his desperate helplessness that threatened to take his life. We don’t know what David was going through, but in our current situation we can easily identify with him.

David cried out to God, who answered his prayer: ‘He lifted me out of the slimy pit, he set my feet on a rock’. There is a world of difference between quicksand and rock, as God lifts us from desperation to security. Waiting on God is not inactivity, but it means engaging in service to God and others, as we discern His will and accept His wisdom and timing.

In response, David offers praise to God: ‘He put a new song in my mouth. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.’ His song is an expression of gratitude and trust in God, who can deliver us from every sort of pit and mire. People of praise never take their life for granted and they are credible witnesses to others, with a personal story of faith to tell.

‘Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud.’ Whatever our current circumstances, we can confidently turn to God alone for help, as our loving heavenly Father. 

Editor: Canon Paul Hardingham on a much-loved Psalm.PP Looking at God aug20

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