The three places

I waited patiently for the LORD’S help;
then he listened to me and heard my cry.
He pulled me out of a dangerous pit,
out of the deadly quicksand.
He set me safely on a rock
and made me secure.
He taught me to sing a new song,
a song of praise to our God. (verses 1-3a)

Read Psalm 40:1-11

In the first place you find yourself in serious trouble. Either through your own actions or the faults of others, you end up grovelling in the depths of guilt or despair. You may try a lot of other things first, but in the end, in desperation, you turn to God. He does not seem to answer or even care.

In the second place, after you learn patience and trust and accept God’s promises of care, you feel the hand of God in your life as he reaches down to you with words of forgiveness and with strength. You regain some stability as you learn to hold on to his promises as you face the difficulties of life.

In the third place you are flooded with gratefulness because of God’s love and commitment to you and for the way he has acted in your life. You thank him in your private prayers, you praise him in public worship and you can’t help but talk about him to other people in your daily life.

Lord, thank you for rescuing me from my desperate condition and for faith and strength. Thank you again and again. Amen.

by Richard Hauser, in ‘Assurance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2004)

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