by Robert Fudge

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 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. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn 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 look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. 5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

Did you ever feel that your life was stuck in quicksand? The more we tug and pull and squirm, fight and kick the deeper we get in the mud. David had that feeling and he turned to God. Not only did he turn to God for help but he “waited patiently for the Lord.” He then saw God turn toward him and hear his cry. God took him from the slime pit and put him on a rock. What a beautiful picture for the deliverance of God in our lives today! When we turn to God in absolute trust and wait on him for help, he will give us relief. But notice what else God did. “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.” David realized that his deliverance was from God and gave him the glory. Too often when we pray for deliverance in our lives and it comes we give the credit to “luck” or “coincidence” instead of to God. David put his trust in God the LORD, not in some idol or in other men.

One of the best ways to increase our faith is to look for God and his work in our lives and then give him the credit. This increases our faith, builds our hope and increases our joy. We need to praise God for all he has done (and is doing) in our lives each day. Sometimes the best things that God does for us are not pleasant. It is in these times that we learn to really trust him. It is in these times that we really feel his presence the most. In Philippians 4:5-7 the Apostle Paul says the LORD is near so we should pray about everything and he will give us a peace that transcends understanding. We need to just feel his presence as he wraps his loving arms around us and holds us, or picks us up and puts us on a rock, or shields us from the harm that is all around. No wonder David said that God put a new song in his mouth. How can we not praise God when he is so good to us?

David then says that others will see our faith in God and because of this will turn to the LORD and trust him also. When I have been faced with some of the worst tragedies in my life, I have been given strength by other Christians who had gone through similar circumstances by placing their trust in God. Wow, what a concept – Christians working with each other as a support group, actually showing they love each other.

“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.” There is no better source of strength than for us to count our blessings. We can know that God cares and provides our needs. When we praise God for the many blessings in our lives it puts our problems in a better perspective. “Rejoice in the LORD always, and again I say rejoice.”

May God bless each of us as we live for him.