Blog Layout
The Lord Puts a New Song in Our Hearts
Andrea Lende • March 10, 2021
Psalm 40:2-3
The Lord Puts a New Song in Our Hearts
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/The-Lord-Puts-a-New-Song-in-Our-Hearts-es810p
Psalm 40:2-3
“He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings.”
“And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord.”
Most of us have a story where God has pulled us up out a pit of destruction.
Probably a pit we built for ourselves.
We build it and then we lived in it until the Lord came to rescue us.
He will always rescue us because our God is a God of restoration.
He not only provides restoration, but He makes us better than we were before we needed to be restored.
He reaches down and lifts us up.
He lifts us out of the thick and sticky clay our feet are stuck in.
Sets us on a rock which is the sturdiest of places.
Then our passage says He steadies our steps and leads us in the way we should go.
Our compass is reset.
And as we are willing to the let the Lord direct us, the Lord puts a new song in our hearts.
We praise Him.
We rejoice in Him.
The Lord fills our hearts with joy.
Unspeakable joy.
And our minds and hearts are forever transformed.
Only the Lord has the power to do this.
No man can transform our hearts and minds as God can.
In a moment we are changed.
In a moment our downtrodden hearts are filled with His joy and love.
And we are home.
Our hearts are at peace as we are back in His arms.
He does what only he can do.
Out of His abundance He grants us peace and heals our brokenness.
Today I allow the Lord to fill my spirit with His Spirit and experience the joy of praising Him.
May you find the Lord will put a new song in your heart as He leads you back unto Himself.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for picking me up out of the pit of destruction – the one I built for myself. Thank You for making right my wrongs. Thank You for restoring me to You and putting a song of praise in my heart. Thank You for leading and guiding me to the life You have planned. Only You can give me joy as the trials of this life come my way. Only You can steady me as this earth spins at one thousand miles an hour. Thank You for Your peace that wraps around me like a warm blanket. Thank You for Your never-ending outpouring of mercy. Thank You for Your long-suffering patience and forgiveness. Thank for not expecting perfection in me. Thank You for using me even amidst my short comings and failures. May I be of service to You today. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I will always lift you up and steady your steps My child and will never let go of your hand.
Response: Thank You, most gracious and merciful Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.