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.

Wait. Patiently. Cry Out. These are not words that we normally associate with positive feelings in life. I know in my mind, I tend to like the words: Act. Take Charge. Get It Done. However, God has seasons for us when we are to wait on him. We are to wait patiently. And we are to cry out to him from the desperation and anguish of our hearts.

Do you ever feel like your relationships get muddy? Your financial outlook, which might normally be like a well oiled machine, now has a wrench in the works? Maybe you feel things in life have trapped you and the walls are steep and close and you feel all alone?

Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers. At that moment, he realized that they hated him. They then sold him into slavery. He had to serve others and had no rights and very little control of his destiny. Life has a way of bringing us to a breaking point sometimes.

And it is at that breaking point that we have a choice: 1) Do we decide in our brokenness to trust God with our problems and lay them at his feet, no matter how bad our circumstances seem? 2) Or will we get bitter, lash out at others, and resent the path God has chosen for us?

If we take path 1, Psalm 40 is of great encouragement to us! There is so much we can look forward to in anticipation: a) A Firm Foundation on The Rock — Jesus Christ. b) A new song of praise in our mouth. Other songs may have taken root in our heart, maybe songs of bitterness, anger, or despair. But the song of praise will replace those songs. They will get crowded out as God’s Spirit heals our hearts. c) Many will fear the Lord and put their trust in him. How? The inference here is that this will happen because of the change they see in our hearts and the song of praise we sing in our lives!

Life with God is all about us branches staying tapped into the vine, Jesus Christ. In ‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬, Jesus said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

So the questions we ask ourselves matter. We can ask questions like: Why am I in this pit? Why am I having to deal with this person? Why am I not getting the things I deserve? But these are asked many times from a heart song other than praise to God.

The heart with a song of praise asks and says: God, how can I learn to praise you in the mud and mire? Teach me to trust your plan for me in the midst of this trial? Help me to reflect your thankfulness and love, though I don’t know why I am being led down this path of pain!

Lord, teach me to praise you in any and every circumstance. May my lips proclaim your glory to all around me. Forgive me for my days of doubt and worry and anger and frustration at the challenging things in this life. Instead, train my heart to praise you even more in those times!