Psalm 40: 1-3
"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD."
This is a familiar plot that is woven throughout the Bible as God deals with His children - one by one. Just read through the individual stories of the "Heroes of the Faith" listed in Hebrews 11. You'll see that each one has a "horrible pit", a "miry clay". Each one cries out to God, and God faithfully brings each one of the out of the pit, out of the miry clay. Then God sets their feet upon a rock and reveals an established path for each one of them. God does indeed put a "new song" in their mouth that praises God. The result of the "new song" and the "changed life" is that those around them fear and trust in the LORD.
I wonder - if we were to produce a theatrical musical play about each of those heroes listed in Hebrews 11, what would it look like? There might be three acts :
Act 1 - "Cries from The Horrible Pit"
Act 2 - "Out of the Pit and Onto the Rock"
Act 3 - "New Songs from a New Creature"
What songs would we need to write to accurately portray their lives in each of these three acts?
What if God were to produce a Broadway musical of your life? What would the unfolding drama of your life teach others about the LORD? What horrible pit or miry clay would be staged in Act 1? What kind of song would God have to write to portray the state of your life in the pit? What emotions or inner motivations would the actor/actress need to convey as they act out your cry to God? Confession or concealment? Humility or pride? Submission or resistance? Forgiveness or bitterness?
What would the audience learn about the power and grace of God in Act 2 as they see the way that God brought you out? Would they desire to have God set THEIR feet on a rock (faith in Jesus Christ)?
In Act 3, what new qualities would the actor/actress have to convey to capture the new creature that you've become? If the old creature in Act 1 was selfish, is the new creature in Act 3 selfless? If the old creature in Act 1 was critical, is the new creature in Act 3 gracious? If the old creature in Act 1 was arrogant, is the new creature in Act 3 humble? What "new song" would the audience hear from the actor portraying you in Act 3? In other words, what is the primary topic of your conversations - the primary focus of your life? Would the "new creature" or the "new song" bring God glory?
How would the "new song" in Act 3 differ from the "old song" in Act 1? Are they radically different? Which song would the audience catch themselves humming the next day - the old song from Act 1 or the new song from Act 3? In other words, what is the "hit song" of your life? What song are you causing others to hum?
If your new life and new song don't bring God glory, do you really even HAVE a new life? If there's no transformation in your life, maybe your feet are not standing on the Rock after all....
"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD."
This is a familiar plot that is woven throughout the Bible as God deals with His children - one by one. Just read through the individual stories of the "Heroes of the Faith" listed in Hebrews 11. You'll see that each one has a "horrible pit", a "miry clay". Each one cries out to God, and God faithfully brings each one of the out of the pit, out of the miry clay. Then God sets their feet upon a rock and reveals an established path for each one of them. God does indeed put a "new song" in their mouth that praises God. The result of the "new song" and the "changed life" is that those around them fear and trust in the LORD.
I wonder - if we were to produce a theatrical musical play about each of those heroes listed in Hebrews 11, what would it look like? There might be three acts :
Act 1 - "Cries from The Horrible Pit"
Act 2 - "Out of the Pit and Onto the Rock"
Act 3 - "New Songs from a New Creature"
What songs would we need to write to accurately portray their lives in each of these three acts?
What if God were to produce a Broadway musical of your life? What would the unfolding drama of your life teach others about the LORD? What horrible pit or miry clay would be staged in Act 1? What kind of song would God have to write to portray the state of your life in the pit? What emotions or inner motivations would the actor/actress need to convey as they act out your cry to God? Confession or concealment? Humility or pride? Submission or resistance? Forgiveness or bitterness?
What would the audience learn about the power and grace of God in Act 2 as they see the way that God brought you out? Would they desire to have God set THEIR feet on a rock (faith in Jesus Christ)?
In Act 3, what new qualities would the actor/actress have to convey to capture the new creature that you've become? If the old creature in Act 1 was selfish, is the new creature in Act 3 selfless? If the old creature in Act 1 was critical, is the new creature in Act 3 gracious? If the old creature in Act 1 was arrogant, is the new creature in Act 3 humble? What "new song" would the audience hear from the actor portraying you in Act 3? In other words, what is the primary topic of your conversations - the primary focus of your life? Would the "new creature" or the "new song" bring God glory?
How would the "new song" in Act 3 differ from the "old song" in Act 1? Are they radically different? Which song would the audience catch themselves humming the next day - the old song from Act 1 or the new song from Act 3? In other words, what is the "hit song" of your life? What song are you causing others to hum?
If your new life and new song don't bring God glory, do you really even HAVE a new life? If there's no transformation in your life, maybe your feet are not standing on the Rock after all....
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