Monday, September 8, 2025
Psalm 40:1-3 – I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. 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. 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.
This psalm of thanksgiving and praise begins in a pit of destruction and a miry bog. Whatever his exact troubles may have been, the psalmist felt trapped, as if in a pit, or sinking into a bog, a swamp. But he waited patiently and prayed for help. Then the Lord lifted him up and set him down on solid rock. The psalmist responded to his rescue with a new song of praise to God. When others heard the song and saw the power of God to save, they too would come to trust in the Lord. These verses begin in a pit of despair and end with rescue, praise, and witness.
These psalm verses give us a preview of our Lord’s saving work. The Lord who rescues and saves allowed Himself to be trapped in a pit of destruction. Accused by His enemies of crimes He did not commit, He was mired in a bog of hate. For us Jesus went down into the pit of death. In patient, willing love, He endured the cross, knowing there would be no immediate rescue from death. He died and was buried but then, on the third day after His death, the rescue came. Jesus was raised up from the pit of destruction. Alive forever, His nail-scarred feet stood again on solid ground in triumph over sin, death, and the devil. That victory, won for us, puts a new song in our mouths, a shout of praise to our crucified and living Lord: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
We have shared the psalmist’s experience. We know what it feels like to be trapped in a pit of destruction and despair, to feel like we are caught in quicksand and sinking fast. Every effort of our own to get out only makes us sink more quickly. We cry out in prayer and beg to be rescued from the despair, strife, worry, and all of the troubles that drag us down. The Lord Jesus—who endured the cross for us and helps us to bear our own crosses—will lift us up again. Our lives rest securely on Jesus, the Cornerstone and Foundation of our faith. We follow Him, walking with firm, secure steps. While we walk, we have a new song in our hearts, a song of praise to the Lord who rescues and saves. That song is our witness in the world, and we pray that all who hear it will “see and fear and put their trust in the Lord!”
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, let my praise be a witness to Your love. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions: