THAT SINKING FEELING (Psalm 40)

(An ongoing series on the 48 psalms listed as “recommended reading” for times of depression, as listed in counselor/pastor David Seamands’ book Healing for Damaged Emotions.)

It's my grandsons' sandbox, not the tar

pits in Los Angeles, but I hope you

get the idea of being overwhelmed.

Sorry, Tigger.

A few miles from where I was born in Los Angeles there’s a park devoted to a prehistoric “sinking feeling.”  The La Brea Tar pits trapped the remains of thousands of animals that waded in for a drink of water, only to be sucked in by the black goo underneath. Though I’m not aware of any “tar pits” in the Holy Land, that’s the image I often associate with the opening verses of Psalm 40:

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.He [God] lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire.

I wonder if these words came to mind for the prophet Jeremiah about four centuries later when he found himself dropped into a cistern as punishment for his negative prophecies. It didn’t contain much water, but it did have accumulated centuries of gooey mud, and he sank helplessly to his armpits. The improbable, dramatic rescue is told in Jeremiah 38.

Like a pit of quicksand, tarry goo, or slimy guck, depression sucks a person down into its dark pit.

David was likely “sucked down” into discouragement when he was hunted and hounded by crazed King Saul, then,  later, as king himself, trapped by his own sins (adultery and murder). One respected Bible teacher* suggested these additional pits:

*Pit of bad habits—an uncontrolled temper, a “poor me” outlook, laziness, and addictive habits with alcohol, drugs, or even media devices.

*Pit of circumstances—severe trials which seem to leave us no breathing room. The apostle Paul experienced these—everything from being mobbed and stoned, to a clandestine escape from murderous foes, to a shipwreck. Our “pits” can be sickness, suffering and sorrow.

But the thrust of Psalm 40 is not about being in the pits but in what happens after being lifted out:

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.

Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust. (vv.2b-4a)

IT’S A FALLEN PLANET, NOT A FAIRY CASTLE

Someone once sent me an unsolicited “woe-is-me” letter that detailed complaints back to childhood. I thought of Job 5:7: “Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.” This is earth, the fallen planet!  In this psalm, David didn’t focus on what he didn’t have, but on how he could praise God for the positives that did come his way:

I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.

I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. (v. 10)

Jesus said that we speak out of the overflow of our hearts (Matthew 12:34). Good fruit comes from good trees. God didn’t create us to lounge in comfort, but to live for Him through life’s conflicts and confusion. Jesus modeled how to “seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (John 4:30).

There are times when depression needs medical treatment to bring our body chemistry back in line. Overwhelming problems and disappointments should heighten our awareness of self-care. My doctor’s counsel to distance myself from an abusive person helped lift me out of one miry pit. But scriptures like Psalm 40 also remind me of my spiritual resources, distilled into these steps:

            *Wait patiently (v. 1)

            *When help comes, praise God (vv. 2, 9-10)

            *Determine to keep following God’s will (v. 8)

            *Keep waiting patiently (v. 17) 

One more suggestion: find a hymnal and sing the hymn whose chorus goes: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand!”

*I commend the exhaustive study of Psalms by James Montgomery Boice, three volumes, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994)

Making 'Psense' of Psalms--Psalm 40: Rescued

"He set my feet upon a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."--Psalm 40:2b.
This huge basalt rock wall is about 30 miles from my home.

Part of a continuing series on selected psalms.

When there’s no chance of survivors in a disaster, the language among responders changes from “rescue” to “recovery.” For the massive March 22 landslide that swept away the Western Washington river community of Oso, that word change came early as workers and machines picked at the mammoth mucky debris pile. Photos of the mess brought to mind the opening lines of Psalm 40, which by coincidence I was studying at the time:

            I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
            He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire…(vv. 1-2)
Sadly, few were “lifted out” alive from the tons of debris. Some dead may never be found. But Psalm 40 isn’t about an Oso-style landslide. David used a metaphor for an “entrapping situation” to illustrate difficult times in his life.

It’s worth noting, however, that the Bible does tell about a “slimy pit” experience of a prophet who lived about four hundred years after David. As punishment for his negative prophecies, the king had Jeremiah dumped into a city “cistern,” a huge water collection hole with a small opening at top. Though empty (otherwise Jeremiah would have drowned), its accumulated mud bottom sucked his body down. He would have perished there without the kind intervention of a palace official. Jeremiah 38 says it took thirty men pulling on ropes to extricate Jeremiah.

We could dismiss that as an interesting historical aside—except for its powerful symbolism of the “pits” any of us encounter in life’s journey. I often use the analogy in my prayers for people I care about: “Lord, I pray that they’ll escape the grips of their emotional/spiritual/relational ‘stuckness.’” A good definition of such pits comes from the late James Montgomery Boice in his book Psalms Volume 1 (Baker, 1994, 348-349):

*The pit of sin. Those who’ve turned away from sin know its powerful downward pull.  Romans 1 describes how one depraved choice leads to a worse one. King David surely knew its pull in the whole Bathsheba mess.

*The pit of defeat. Some people complain of defeat in relationships, education, or work.  They’ve never succeeded enough at anything to want to keep going, so they give up instead of believing that God has important things for them to do.

*The pit of bad habits. These may be destructive addictions (drugs, cutting, anorexia) or life patterns (temper, self-pity, laziness, overeating). But, Boice added, with Christ these can be overcome.

*The pit of circumstances. For a what-can-get-worse example, Boice pointed to the extremes of physical, emotional and spiritual distress that Paul experienced in telling his world about Christ. Yet Paul was able to say, “We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9).

One way to outline the message of Psalm 40 is through four R’s: Rescue (1-2), Response (3-5, worship and proclamation), Reamed (6-10, ears “opened” to hear and obey), Remembrance and Reprise (11-17).

RESCUED

Psalm 40 opens significantly with a phrase of hopeful anticipation. David doesn’t cry, “I’m in a terrible mess! Where’s God in all this?”  Instead, he says, “I waited patiently for the Lord.” He believed God saw every detail of his life. A couple psalms earlier, he wrote, “All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you” (Psalm 38:9). Romans 8:30 reaffirms that absolutely nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” David trusted, and God turned and heard David’s cry, lifted him out of the pit of negativity, and set his feet on a rock of renewed hope. For us, that Rock is the Lord Jesus!

RESPONSE

David didn’t mope, “Well, it’s about time you showed up, God.” Instead, he praised God with a “new song” with the desire that “many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord” (v. 3). What a lesson for the rest of us—to use our stories of help to bring glory to God and woo others to Him!

REAMED

Some members of my family have problems with earwax buildup, requiring occasional medical help to remove the compacted wax so they can hear again. Although the outline word “reamed” implies a sharp tool (which would be dangerous for ears!), that’s the basic idea conveyed in Psalm 40:6. David wrote that obedience to God is the best sacrifice, and that God had “opened” his ears (v. 6). The Hebrew word for “opened” is kara and in other scriptures is translated "dig," "make," and "pierce."

Older commentators connected this to the practice described in Numbers 21 of piercing a hole in the ear of a slave wanting to stay with his master after his six-year required labor. This marked him physically as a servant for life. But “ears” in Psalm 40:6 is plural, and that rite pierced only one ear. More recent commentators believe it refers to "dug" or "opened up," to imply that the obedient person's ears have opened up to take in God's truth. Open to God’s counsel, that person says, “I desire to do your will, O my God, your law is within my heart” (40:8).  Living out divine truth is how he is rescued from his pits of sin, defeat, bad habits or circumstances. More than that, he wants to share the good news of a relationship with a loving God with all around him (vv. 9-10).
 
REMEMBRANCE AND REPRISE
With verse 11, David seems to continue to face troubles and enemies. But he comes back to where he began: to patiently trusting God for life in this imperfect world: “You are my help and my deliverer,” he says (v. 17). “Oh my God, do not delay.” We have an even more encouraging word from the Lord Jesus:  “In this world you will have trouble. Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Next blog: Psalms 42-43

PRRRRRaise!



The full quote of sign on our porch:
"When I count my blessings, I count
 you twice." The cat's "blessing" was
probably a sunny spot to nap!

 The family cat was waiting when I slipped out of bed early for private time with God. As I headed to the kitchen for tea, he followed with a crescendoing purr. It had something to do with “plop of wet cat food in dish.” As he ate and purred, and I opened my Bible, I thought how that’s the attitude I want for God-time. Prrrrraise…anticipating, then savoring.

If our cat counted blessings for Thanksgiving, there would be just some broad categories: food, brushing, warm lap, private sleeping corner, the great outdoors in moderation.

We have so much more to inspire our thanks. Although its message has been blurred by the traditions of turkey and football, Thanksgiving is still about giving thanks. Or, as ancient Asaph of the temple music department put it, “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High” (Psalm 50:14).

I’ve been spending more time in psalms lately, and want to suggest some praise psalms for your reading list as Thanksgiving approaches. Here are seven, one for each day until Nov. 22.

Psalm 30, David’s composition for the dedication of the temple. I like how it contrasts life’s dark times with its hope. My favorite verse: “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (30:5). Thank God for bringing you through a dark time in your life.

Psalm 34, by David, when he pretended to be insane for his safety (1 Samuel 21). After getting out of that too-close-for-comfort danger, he sang out huge stanzas of praise. My favorite verses: “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together” (34:3, also our wedding verse). “Those who look to him are radiant” (v. 3). “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (v. 8). “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (v. 18). Praise God for His protection.

Psalm 40, by David, another hymn about protection. Most memorable image: “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (v. 2). For a real-life example of this many years later, go to Jeremiah 38 and read of the prophet’s sinking punishment. Another: “I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly” (v. 10b). Share with someone or a group about a time when God helped you.

Psalm 65, by David, packed full of praises for God’s work among people and in nature. Favorite verse: “You crown the year with bounty” (v. 11). Thank God for His benevolent care through food and shelter.

Psalm 103, another by David. It lists blessing after blessing. One precious to many is forgiveness: “As far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our transgressions from us” (v. 2). Pick one blessing from the psalm’s list to praise God.

Psalm 107, no author listed, recounting God’s powerful plan seen in history. Key verse: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men” (v. 8). With today’s perspective on yesterday’s problems or challenges, thank God for His superior plan.

Psalm 116, no author listed, praise for God’s sustaining power in difficulties. Memorable verse: “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people” (vv. 12-14). Verse 15 touches the event most have a hard time linking to praise: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” In my mother’s last hours before her death of cancer, my father read this psalm to her. As he came to that verse, I knew she would soon be one of those “precious ones.” I also affirmed that death, though a painful parting on this side, transitions to something wonderful for those who are Christians. If you have loved ones who aren’t yet Christians, pray for their salvation.

Extra credit! Psalm 145 (also by David) is an ABC praise poem (except using the Hebrew alphabet, from aleph to taw). Make an alphabetical list of your own thanksgivings to God.