2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
The first part of Psalm 40, where the verse for today’s meditation is found, is about giving thanks to God for the deliverance and stability which the LORD has graciously provided for His servant. Gratefully, the psalmist says, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Are you mindful to remember and praise God for the deliverance He has given to you in your life? What has the LORD done for you? Recount the recent deliverance that God has granted you in answer to your prayers. Mention them before the LORD and praise Him for those answered prayers.
When one makes it a habit to recollect the goodness of the LORD that one has received, one’s deep affection for the LORD will also grow. On the contrary, when the LORD’s goodness is disregarded, one’s devotion and spiritual enthusiasm will also be adversely affected. This is especially so, when one is going through sore distress.
In our text, God’s delivering grace is gratefully reminisced in the most apt and beautiful emblematic language. The psalmist says that the Lord has lifted him up out of a “horrible pit” into which he has fallen, and has set him upon a “rock”! What a vivid and moving depiction of God’s deliverance! How would you describe God’s deliverance in your life?
The psalmist’s description here sets forth the phenomenal change that the Lord has granted him in response to his penitent prayers. He was being weighed down by his sins and their consequences. This, he alluded to in verse 12: “For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.” So he cried unto God, saying, “Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me” (v. 13). Also in the midst of this psalm, with eyes of faith, he spoke prophetically concerning Christ the Saviour (vv. 7-10). The New Testament cited these words as a predictive reference to Christ’s obedience to the Father in becoming a sacrifice for our sins (cf. Hebrews 10:5-10). The repentant sinner is thus made to stand firmly on the Rock of Ages, even our Lord Jesus! If you are sinking in your sin, cry out to Christ at once with absolute faith; He will surely deliver and sanctify you by His blood.