Scripture

“He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.  He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” Psalm 40:2-3a

Reflections

Have you ever been “bogged down” by something?

A bog, or swamp, is a wet area that cannot support a heavy amount of weight.  When a person walks through a wet muddy swampy area, they will start to sink.  They will slow down and find it difficult to move because their feet will get weighed down in the mud.  That’s how it is with sin.  In the words of Cassiodorus (c. 485-c. 580), “Just as the mud of a lake stinks and is heavy, so also the sins of people are like mud, causing people to shudder because of their smell and causing them to drown because of their weight.”  Our sins weigh us down.

But the psalmist does not leave us there.  The Lord God sets our feet upon a rock, making our steps secure.  In the words of Ambrose of Milan of the fourth century, “Jesus came to save us from the pit and slime of this world, from the mud and mire of this earth, from this body doomed to death.  In his own flesh he has restored our soul and steadied our tottering footsteps.  Strengthened by God’s Word and absolved through the cross of our Lord’s body, we walk no longer in the shame and disfigurement of vice but in the forgiveness of sin.”

We are now freed to sing a new song, a song of praise to our God.

Prayer

Lord God, thank you for rescuing me from the mire of sin and setting me on your rock-solid grace.  I look to you to rescue me when I feel bogged down.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Full Reading: Psalm 40:1-11