He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD. -- Psalm 40:1-3
Thank God for the rescue of the Chilean miners. It was heart touching to see them brought up from the ground, after so many weeks, to be reunited with family and friends. The joy expressed at their rescue made me think of God's love for us and His great work in salvation.
He Listens - We serve a living and listening God. Not a concept or great power, but a good God who is active and aggressively leaning to listen to his children. Like a mother recognizing her baby's cry, He hears and is moved by our distress.
He Lifts - The miner's situation was like sin but extremely better. Like sin, they were stuck, deep below, under ground, in relative darkness, separated from the living. Like sin they were powerless to change situation and needed someone to rescue them. Like sin, they could not improve their situation, or climb to higher ground, or think themselves safe, or act better to rise up. They had to be lifted. They had to submit to a rescuing power, do what was told, and avail themselves of a plan of redemption worked out for them. They had to wait and then move in obedience to those rescuing. So too for the man or woman that God delivers from the muck and mire of sin.
He Liberates - After the wondrous deliverance from the muck and mire, God gives us a new song. It is not enough to change the situation and not change our mentality. Weeping is appropriate when you are stuck in the muck, but when deliverance comes, it's time to change the mood. God gives a new song, putting it in the mouth of the one He saved.
Praise to the God of heaven for His Son who came down here to bring us up there.
