Originally posted: 10/15/2020

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, (40:3).

The past. It definitely bears an impact. And it can be so beneficial to remember the past… when we remember Him. In this Psalm, David once again finds himself in that place of desperate need for God’s deliverance.

Deliverance from within… from the evil iniquities that threaten to consume him:

For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
They are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
And my heart has failed me.
¹³ Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
Make haste, O Lord, to help me, (40:12-13).

Deliverance from without… from his enemies that threaten torment and destruction:

Let those be ashamed and humiliated together
Who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.
¹⁵ Let those be appalled because of their shame
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!” (40:14-15).

But I find it interesting when reading of his current state, this is not the place he chooses as his launching pad for his prayer recorded in this Psalm. Instead of beginning with his urgent plea for help, he first travels back in memory to God’s faithfulness in previous times to strengthen himself for his now; reminding himself to wait patiently in full assurance that the Lord will lean in to listen, will reach down to rescue, and will enable him to stand secure, establishing him on His solid foundation.

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
² 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, (40:1-2).

And as David remembers, a new song erupts; but not just any song. This is a song composed by the greatest Songwriter of all time; by Him, Our Songsmith Supreme.

Songsmith: “a writer of songs; a composer of songs; a person who writes the music and often the words for songs.”

Supreme: “highest in rank or authority; of the highest quality, character, importance; the utmost; the ultimate.”

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, (40:3).

Consider Him, Our Songsmith Supreme

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of His Deliverance.
  • 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, (40:2).

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of Praise.
  • 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, (40:3).

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of His Countless Wonders.
  • Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done… (40:5).

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of His Care and Concern.
  • …And Your thoughts toward us… (40:5).

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of His Indescribable Distinction.
  • …There is none to compare with You.
    If I would declare and speak of them,
    They would be too numerous to count, (40:5).

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of His Supernatural Work within Our Hearts.
  • Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
    My ears You have opened;
    Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
    ⁷ Then I said, “Behold, I come;
    In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
    ⁸ I delight to do Your will, O my God;
    Your Law is within my heart,” (40:6-8).

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of His Good News to be Proclaimed.
  • I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
    Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
    O Lord, You know.
    ¹⁰ I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
    I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
    I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation, (40:9-10).

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of His Compassion and Lovingkindness.
  • You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
    Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me, (40:11).

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of Joy and Gladness to Magnify Him.
  • Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
    Let those who love Your salvation say continually,
    “The Lord be magnified!” (40:16).

• He is Our Songsmith Supreme, Writing New Songs of Faith.
  • 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, (40:17).

How do we respond to Him, Our Songsmith Supreme?

The Psalmist wrote that it is good to give Him thanks and praise.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
² To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night, (Psalm 92:1-2).

It is good to do so because He is so very worthy of honor; but it is also good to do so because it fixes our thoughts on Who He is, not who we are; on what He has done, not our own works; and what He will do, not what we can.

My favorite pastor (okay, yes, my husband), often says we should always have a New Song to sing. After all, every day is a new opportunity to experience his unfailing love, compassion and faithfulness; and that is most definitely something to sing about.

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness, (Lamentations 3:22-23).

But in reality, in and of ourselves, our own songs would be incapable of capturing His worth and proclaiming His praise. So, isn’t it great that He doesn’t leave us to ourselves, even in our praise? It is the Lord Who puts His songs in our mouth; He alone is the ultimate composer and lyricist of the highest authority and character and of the utmost importance. His Songs will be worthy of His Name for He is Our Songsmith Supreme.

And as we reflect on Him and His wonders, as we remember His faithful compassion and lovingkindness, His deliverance and care, when we recognize that none can compare with Him, our hearts are prepared to receive Songs from Him, Our Songsmith Supreme.

His Songs will strengthen us to wait patiently with faith and praise for every need.

I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry, (40:1).

When we focus on all our trials and troubles, on the what ifs and if onlys, on the wish I did or didn’t, on the wish they would or wouldn’t, we will end up lapsing into falsehoods, closing our ears and hearts to the New Songs He desires to put into our mouth to sing back to Him in praise. He promises His blessing to us when we make Him our trust and humble ourselves to seek Him in truth.

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, (40:4).

Today, let’s remind ourselves of all that He is, all that He has done, and all that He will do for us when we make Him our trust. And then let’s wait patiently for Him, Our Songsmith Supreme, to give us His New Songs to sing that we would bless His Name and proclaim His amazing grace.

Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
² Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day, (Psalm 96:1-2).

Oh, that we would grow to become His faithful witnesses, that He would magnify Himself through us as we sing His New Songs, that many would see and hear, and put their trust and faith in Him, Our Songsmith Supreme.

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, (40:3).

Let’s Grow Together!