I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. (Ps. 40:1-2)
Since Psalm 36, this theme of waiting has been waiting in the background, so that it might arise in triumph in verse 1 of Psalm 40. Recall in Psalm 38, the Psalmist, David found himself afflicted, at least partially because of his own sin. Amidst great pain and suffering, David lied silently under the smarting rod of his heavenly Father, while waiting with expectation for His deliverance. Psalm 39:7-9 summarizes David’s posture: And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool! I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.
King David knew what it was like to wait, but his waiting always involved expectation. In Psalm 37:34, he commanded enduring expectancy: Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. For David, as will all children of God, waiting never means inactivity. This idea is reflected in verse 1 of our Psalm. Though translated into English as, “I waited patiently,” the original Hebrew repeats the same verb in two constructs. Kavoh kaviti literally means “I waited and waited,” but conveys the ideas of both endurance as well as expectation. As the Psalm opens, David is stuck, hopeless and helpless, enmeshed in the slime of a muddy pit. Though he can do nothing to help himself, he waits on the Lord with expectation; this is another way of saying that he believed or had faith in God. God meets his expectation in verse 2 by pulling him out of this pit and placing his foot firmly upon a rock. His peril is suddenly changed to safety and security.
Seeing God has His Savior and Deliverer, David sings “a new song,” a “psalm of praise” (vs. 3). His once mute mouth now extols the praises of God which serves to testify to others, that they too might trust the Lord. When God delivers us, we must not remain silent; let us praise Him and make His powerful deliverance, deeds and attributes known “in the great congregation” (vs. 10). We need to talk to one another, both inside and outside the church, about our great God. Our common testimony is found in the Psalm’s final verse 17: As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.