Welcome to Day 14 for a short powerful devotion from our 30 Psalms For Anxiety, Fear, Worry, And Depression bible plan. This short devotional is from Psalm 40:1-3. Make sure to join me in prayer at the bottom of this post.
Read Psalm 40:1-3. Click on the verse to read it in various translations.
Psalm 40 is such a beautiful Psalm written by David. He was joyfully proclaiming God's deliverance from his enemies. He was joyfully singing about his relief from being in the slimy pit of despair. He shared his praise with the people of Israel so that they would praise God too. David was always pointing others to God.
Have you ever been in a pit of despair?
Discouragement can feel like a muddy pit. Sometimes life throws us curve balls that leave us stuck and unable to move forward. Even when we are walking closely with the Lord we go through waves of trials that seem unending. When you are in that pit full of the miry clay, it can feel impossible to climb out of it. Maybe that is a good place to get to because it means you have to totally rest in God and be dependant on Him.
We are in good company with David so let's see what we can learn from his experience.
Miry clay meaning?
What is a miry clay?
A mire is an area of wet, spongy earth like a bog or marsh.
Have you ever been on a piece of land after the snow has melted or after a tremendous downpour of rain that leaves the land extremely muddy?
It is slimy and clings to your boots and creates mess no matter how hard you try to climb out of it. And if your car gets stuck in this slimy mud, you need someone else to help pull you out of it!
That is what life can be like, a slimy piece of mud that seems impossible at times to climb out of but take heart, we have David as an example of what to do.
Waiting on the Lord
So what did David do when he was stuck in the miry clay? How did he climb out of his pit of despair?
David tells us that he waited on the Lord. We read on day 2 of our bible plan 30 Psalms for anxiety, fear, worry and depression that God is his shield and rock. God is his solid ground when his life is muddy and slimy and tries to keep him stuck in a pit of despair.
And guess what happened?
David says that after a time of waiting on God, God heard his cry. David had fallen into a hopeless and helpless situation that forced him to rely on God. But God then inclined His ear to David. He heard his cry for help and then he bent down to listen to him just like a good father does to his child.
Isn't that awesome to know that we are such treasures to God that He always bends down to listen to His precious children?
David was stuck in a slimy pit. He couldn't find solid ground to get a firm footing. he was stuck and unable to rescue himself. He needed help and he went straight to God Almighty who has the power and desire to place David's and our lives firmly on solid ground.
That is God's grace, lifting us out of our muddy, slimy pits of the mire and setting them on solid ground.
So what does it mean to wait on God?
Waiting on God is a spiritual discipline. It is not a passive activity. Waiting on God means to be actively dependent on Him and be obedient to His direction.
Do as David did. Go straight to God and sit in His presence. Tell Him all the despair that is on your heart and hand it over to Him. Place it into His hands and then wait expectantly for God to lift you out of that slimy pit.
God has lifted me out of slimy pits quite a few times!
And I did as David did. I waited expectantly on God and sang songs of worship. Worship is a great tool to use when you are stuck in a pit. It is probably the last thing you want to do but as you actively sing worship to God it changes your heart and perspective and you will find hope rising up in you.
Reading scripture will encourage your heart too. You might enjoy reading these wait on the Lord verses.
And remember to tell the whole world what God has done for you!
Free printable prayer journal
Use our free printable prayer journal or notebook to answer the following questions.
How much time do you devote in your day to actively listen to God speak to your heart?
Consider this: how much time do you think does God spends thinking about you?
Have you ever considered what it means to 'wait upon the Lord'?
The Bible tells us to wait patiently on the Lord. Here are 31 bible verses about waiting on the Lord.
Bible affirmation: Remind yourself often of these biblical truths. God inclines His ear to me. He bends down to listen.
God has the power to lift me out of the slimy pit.
Scripture prayer: Join me in praying Psalm 40:1-3.
Father, thank you that You bend down to listen to my cries for help. Your mercies are new every morning. Help me to wait patiently for you to act on my behalf in my life. Help me to seek You and praise You when my heart is so depressed. Help me to point others to You and to be a good witness of all that You have done in my life. Amen.
Other encouraging bible verses: Daniel 3:23-25, When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in their firey pit, there was an angel too!
Related Resources:
You will find the 30 Psalms For Anxiety, Fear, Worry, And Depression bible plan HERE It will have the list of 30 Bible verses that we are using for 30 days for our bible challenge.
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Karen xx.