The Bible Study Podcast, Episode 381. Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of psalms with Psalm 40.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen. I'm not sure how many of Psalms we're going to do in a row here. I'm starting to think that maybe we'll take a break after Psalm 50 or so, do the first third of Psalms, then go on to something else and then maybe come back sometime later. But Psalm 40 is one of those Psalms that makes me glad that we've continued this far. Not that this is necessarily

something new, but one of the things that's interesting about Bible study is because of the work of the

Holy Spirit, he can enable us to see something new, even in something familiar. And this particular

psalm is a psalm of thanksgiving and a psalm of praise. And that's kind of what I need

this week. We've had just some interesting and sad news over the last few weeks. We just learned

last night that a good friend's mother has colon cancer. Two weeks ago, we heard a friend's husband

was murdered. Today I heard of another

friend who's asking for prayers for his wife. So we have friends going through some difficult times,

and it's good for us to remember sometimes that God has been with us in the past. And that's what

David does here. Psalm 40 goes like this.

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. 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 the

Lord and put their trust in him. I like the way that David starts this with he was in a place

that was insecure. I got the impression with the slimy pit and mud and mire that he was

slipping back into something,

slipping back into depression, slipping back into sin, slipping back into something,

that he needed a savior.

He needed someone to come and get him.

He needed a rescuer, and that God rescued him.

And he put him in a firm place to stand, someplace where he wasn't

going to be slipping and sliding and falling and getting covered with Muck and Meyer.

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