Up! | Psalm 40
Have you ever been stuck before? We’ve all had moments when we have fell into a ditch and gotten stuck and the only way we can get out is someone has to rescue us. Have you seen that video of the sheep that was stuck in a ditch and gets pulled out and then jumps back into the ditch? (Video) This is the Christian life. We fall into a ditch of our own making and God sets us free. Then we jump right back in, and God delivers us again and again. The good news is that because of Jesus, God does not leave us where we are, but He picks us up, dusts us off and raises us up.
This psalm of David, written during his time as king, has two main themes. First, he expresses gratitude for God’s past deliverance. He recalls his escape from Saul and how God was faithful to take him from running to ruling, the pit to the place, from death to deliverance. Second, David looks for God’s intervention in his current troubles. This Psalm is a NEW song that is meant to give hope to the hopeless and call us to trust God while we are waiting for His rescue. How can we trust God when we are in the pit again? Psalm 40 teaches us to remember God’s faithfulness in the past and His promises in the future to give us hope in the present.