Lifted Up – Day 41

Psalm 40

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.
² He drew me up from the desolate pit,^[a]
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure.
³ 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.

Trudging through the snow this past week reminded of how difficult it is to walk when every step has to be high and strategic.  It takes much more work to travel a short distance when the snow is as high as it was.  It is also difficult to walk when you are sinking in mud.  Mud seems to have this suction and picking up your shoes could result in losing one or both along the way.  It can make for a frustrating and almost defeating journey to travel through either.

The Psalmist in Psalm 40 has felt this frustration and defeat.  He has had his feet sink way down deep, maybe up to his knees.  He can’t see what’s in front of him.  He knows what it is to fall so far that it becomes almost impossible to move forward.  It was during these times he cried out to God.  And, just like God always does, he heard his cry.  What did God do with the cries of his child?  God brought him out of the pit and set him high upon a rock.  In other words, he gave him firm footing.  He gave him a new start.  He offered him the possibility of moving forward when he felt most defeated.  He was rescued.

What do we do when we feel up to our knees in difficulties?  Where do we turn when we can’t see a way forward?  What happens when we feel so defeated that every single step is almost too much?  Instead of trying to fight the mud, maybe we cry out to God for his rescue.  His firm footing is exactly what we need when we can’t seem to move.  All too often, I find myself just sitting in the mud, still trying to figure it out on my own.  Psalm 40 is my reminder there is no reason to do this.  God provides just what we need when we turn to him.  And what we may need is to be lifted up.  

May you be lifted up today, set high upon a rock, and guided forward in following God.