Psalm Meditation 1069 Third Sunday of Advent December 13, 2020 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, 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. 4 Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods. 5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted. 6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. 7 Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” 9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. 10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. 11 Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever. 12 For evils have encompassed me without number; my iniquities have overtaken me, until I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me. 14 Let all those be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt. 15 Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!” 16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!” 17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God. (NRSV) Music makes a difference in our lives. In the midst of grief and trauma we may lose the ability to be touched and moved by music, and we may not be able to hear the songs that rise up within us. We can still sing, and play any instruments with the same skill we had prior to our life changing event but we can’t feel the music stir our hearts and souls to the heights and depths of glory in the same way we could before. When the psalmist writes, “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” it strikes a chord with those of us who have heard and felt the newness God offers. As we grieve, a space is hollowed out within us that draws us down to a desolate pit that seems as if it will hold us down forever. At some point God reaches in and offers to pull us “up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” As a part of pulling us out of the depths God re-invigorates the gift of music within us. When we get the music back we may feel it more deeply as the well of grief allows us a new depth of passion and emotion in our song. Some people never get beyond their grief. They hold on to it as if it is the only connection left to the way life used to be. They rehearse it and renew it on a regular basis. They refuse to look up to see the hand of God offering to pull them out of the pit. Others see God at work in their lives and take God’s hand when it is offered to them. The pit remains in both cases. For some it is a stifling enclosure that holds them tightly for the rest of their lives. For others it becomes a place that adds depth to their lives and allows them a new and deeper well of understanding of themselves and others. December 7, 2020 LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/