Finding A New Song Of Praise

Psalm 40:1-3
I waited intently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.
Looking back, I can see that with my first and second child, things were pretty easy! It was a time of learning, but nothing that I felt I couldn’t handle.
Then we became foster parents and child 3 and 4 came.
Then I became pregnant and child 5 came.
That 4 year period of adding kids 3 through 5 (and having to let some go), were some of the most humbling of my life. People would say things like, “You guys are so amazing for doing foster
care!” Or, “You are really amazing for doing as much as you do!” And I would think, “You have no idea how undone I am! No. Idea.”
Being pushed to the edge of my patience and abilities in those years left me scared, tired and overwhelmed (which came out as controlling, grouchy and stressed). I realized how judgmental I had been of parents who didn’t have it all together. I realized that I couldn’t handle my life situation. I was in a pit of pride and panic. My frailty and depravity on full display. Especially to the people who mattered most to me: my family.
There wasn’t a sudden moment that I can look back on and say: “Jesus jerked me out of that mess on ____ day!” But reflecting on those days and now, I can see that He did.  But He didn’t just pull me out! He set me somewhere! He set me in a place of security, where His forgiveness, healing and abundance flows! This place with Jesus is a place where new songs of praise have begun to form,
and I believe God will use them to help others see His goodness.
Being pulled out of the pit – that’s His mercy.
Being set on a secure place and given songs of praise – that’s His grace.
If you find yourself in a pit today, know that He is the Rescuer! No pit is too deep. If you know you’ve been rescued, let the reality of how undeserved we are of that really sink in. Let the knowledge that you could have never rescued yourself really sink in. And let Jesus give you a new song of praise!