DIGGING DEEP NO 1006 – October 17, 2023 When You Are In The Pit Psalm 40

Jesus told the disciples to expect trials. He begins John 16:1-2 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.” He ends that chapter in a similar vein John16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Yet in spite of these words and many other similar Scriptures John 15:18; Acts 14:22; 1 Thessalonians. 3:3-4; 2 Timothy. 3:12, many that profess to know Christ stumble and fall away when they get hit with various trials. If you’re going to persevere with Christ, you must know in advance that you will face times when you are in the pit, and you must know what to do when you’re there. Rather than turning away from the Lord, you must learn to turn to Him to rescue you from life’s pits.

Psalm 40 is a song about the pits. It falls into two sections. In the first half 40:1-10, David tells how God got him out of one pit and he sings God’s praise for doing so. But he did not then live happily ever after. Rather, it is evident from the second half of the psalm 40:11-17 that he is in another pit, crying out to the Lord to deliver him from this one. Because David waited intently on the Lord to rescue him from the first pit, he knew how to wait on the Lord to get him out of the second pit. So it’s a psalm about what to do when you’re in the pit. When you’re in the pit, wait intently on the Lord and proclaim His goodness when He answers.

Rather than follow the structure of the psalm, I want to follow David’s plan for getting out of a pit and his example of what to do when the Lord rescues you.

1. When you’re in the pit, wait intently on the Lord.

What is “the pit”?

1. 1.THE PIT COULD BE ANY OF A NUMBER OF LIFE’S TRIALS.

David does not specify exactly what the trials of the first pit entailed. The second pit clearly involved the consequences of David’s sins 40:12 and many enemies that were trying to destroy him 40:14-15. But he doesn’t exactly say what the first pit was, except to describe it as a pit of destruction and the miry clay 40:2. Some think that it was David’s enemies, while others think that it could have been physical illness or some deep emotional distress. Perhaps as with Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” we are not told so that we can relate all our trials to David’s situation.

If you fell into a pit whose walls and bottom were mud, you would be in big trouble. Try as you may, you will never successfully pull yourself out. Mud and mire will gulp your feet. You’ll be stuck. That’s where David was. He was trapped and unable to free himself.

If you have not yet cried out to God to save you from judgment and eternal punishment for your sins, then you are in a deep pit with no human way out. You may not feel like you’re in that pit. You may feel as if life is going reasonably well. But Paul describes your future this way 2 Thessalonians 1:7b-9, “when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” It’s the worst of all pits to be in

Your pit could be poor health, the loss of your job, former friends that turned against you, an unfaithful mate, rebellious children, or any other overwhelming problem. You may be responsible for being in your pit, or you may be a victim of some other circumstance. David’s situation in the second pit seems to have been a combination of both. He acknowledges his many sins, which have overtaken him like a fog, so that he can’t see his way clear 40:12.

2. 2.WHEN YOU’RE IN THE PIT, YOU’LL BE TEMPTED TOWARD PRIDE OR FALSEHOOD TO GET OUT OF THE PIT.

In verse 4, David writes, “How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.” When you’re in a pit, it’s very easy, even if you profess to trust in the Lord at other times, to grab onto any seeming way of escape, even if it means compromising your faith. The proud are those that boast in their own abilities. They don’t recognize or admit any personal weakness. Rather, by their own ingenuity and effort, they will get out of their crisis on their own. Or, if you’re in a jam and it looks like a little white lie will get you out of the jam, you can be tempted to use it. You justify it by thinking, “Well, it’s just this once and I do need to get out of this pit.” But you’re trusting in your lie, not in the Lord.

King Asa was a classic example of a good man who fell into this trap. He was a good king who instituted many reforms in Judah. When a million-man Ethiopian army invaded Judah, Asa called out to God and affirmed his trust in God alone to deliver them  2 Chronicles.14:2-12. But many years later, after a long reign that God had blessed when the king of Israel came up against him, Asa sent tribute to the king of Syria and enlisted his help against the enemy. Interestingly, his ploy worked. The king of Israel had to abandon his invasion of Judah to defend his northern flank. But, a prophet rebuked Asa for relying on the king of Syria instead of relying on the Lord 2 Chronicles. 16:7-9. Asa’s final days were plagued with painful gout. But 2 Chronicles 16:12 reports, “yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.” It’s not that it’s wrong to go to doctors, but it is wrong to trust doctors if your primary trust is not in the Lord. The lesson is, that it is always wrong to trust in anything or anyone other than the Lord to get out of your pit, even if it works.

3. THE WAY OUT OF THE PIT IS TO WAIT INTENTLY ON THE LORD.

David says Psalm. 40:1, “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry.” Waiting on the Lord is a common theme in Scripture. For example, Psalm 37:7: “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.” Again, Psalm 37:9: “For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.” And again, Psalm 37:34: “Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.” But, what does it mean to “wait” on the Lord? Our psalm gives us at least seven clues:

(1). WAITING ON THE LORD IS INTENTLY ACTIVE, NOT PASSIVE (40:1). It is an intently active time when your situation in the pit tunes your heart to the Lord in ways that you would not normally experience. It means to wait expectantly as you hope for God’s promises to be fulfilled on your behalf. The more intense your situation, the more intently you wait upon the Lord to fulfill His promises. 

(2). WAITING ON THE LORD MEANS TO CRY OUT TO HIM FOR DELIVERANCE 40:1, 13, 17. God’s timing often does not coincide with our timing. We want it done instantly, but God has other purposes. But when you’re in a pit, there is a sense of urgency. In verse 1, David mentions his cry, which may have been as simple as, “Help, Lord!” In verse 13, he directly cries out, “Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; make haste, O Lord, to help me.” In verse 17, he repeats, “Since I am afflicted and needy, let the Lord be mindful of me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.” 

(3). WAITING ON THE LORD MEANS TRUSTING HIM ALONE 40:3, 4, 11. In verse 3, David expresses his hope that because of his testimony of waiting on the Lord, others will also come to trust in Him. In verse 4, as we’ve seen, he mentions how blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust. In verse 11, “Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord; may your love and your truth always protect me. It is a statement or reaffirmation of trust (NASB) “You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.” Waiting on the Lord means, “Lord, You’re my only hope for deliverance.” So, waiting on the Lord is not just a passive biding your time. It is an active crying out to the Lord, trusting Him to answer because of His love and compassion. 

(4). WAITING ON THE LORD MEANS RECOUNTING HIS MANY WONDERS AND HIS PROVIDENTIAL CARE 40:5. Waiting on the Lord gives you time to think. But you’ve got to direct your mind to think about the right things. Think of God’s many wonders and how He has worked in the past to deliver you in particular and others that you know. You will be able to wait with expectant hope in Him. As David waits on the Lord, he thinks about who God is and what He has done. V5, 

(5). WAITING ON THE LORD MEANS OBEYING HIM 40:6-8. “Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired; my ears You have opened; burnt offering and sin offering You have not required. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book, it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.’ The application for us is that when we’re in a pit, we must focus on continuing to obey the Lord, even if He does not deliver us quickly. 

(6). WAITING ON THE LORD MEANS SEEKING HIM 40:16. “Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified!” In this context, seeking the Lord is a synonym for crying out to Him in expectant prayer. If you’re seeking the Lord and not just deliverance from your pit, you won’t forget about God after He delivers you. 

(7). WAITING ON THE LORD MEANS REJOICING IN HIM (40:16). No doubt, David was rejoicing and glad about his deliverance when it came, but he makes the point here to rejoice and be glad in the Lord”. The joy is not just in the deliverance, but in the Lord who delivers. It means finding God as our eternal treasure so that we rejoice in all that He is, as well as in all that He does for us.

So when you’re in the pit, wait intently on the Lord. Don’t turn to the world for answers. Turn to the Lord. Waiting on Him means crying out to Him; trusting Him; recounting His many wonders; obeying Him; seeking Him; and rejoicing in Him. Then, When the Lord rescues you from the pit, proclaim His goodness.

Conclusion: When you are in the Pit, Look Up, Engage your Faith, Cry Out, and Wait upon the Lord. Have confidence that God will come in,