The Singing Comes Second
The singing comes after the waiting.
Every morning, our daughter Hope recites her verse of the year, which is Psalm 40:3, “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.” It is a fitting verse for Hope, because she loves music and has a beautiful voice. It is an uplifting and triumphant way for her to begin the day, and the recitation of this promise is intended to be a proclamation of blessing over her.
It was only this week, however, that I realized the singing comes second. The singing—which is our focus as we encourage her to proclaim this promise—comes in verse three. Given the melodic exclamation of the verse, you might expect the first two verses of the chapter to be a buildup to verse three. They are in fact the exact opposite:
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Ps. 40:1-2).
In other words, David—the author of this Psalm—didn’t come skipping and dancing into this new song as he did some others. He had to be lifted out of the slimy, muddy pit before he could sing it. He wasn’t running or even moving at all; He was patiently waiting.
The singing came after the waiting. The singing came second.
My friend, I know you are ready to sing. You desire a new song on your lips. You want your life to be a signpost by which others find faith in and relationship with the one true God. You want to sing, but instead you find yourself waiting in the pit of life, and you are tempted to despair. You are inclined to despise the waiting. This is not a condemnation, but rather a statement of association. I know this to be real because of my own life. I want the jubilation but so often find myself in a pit of waiting. From that place in the pit, I say to you:
Your singing comes just after your waiting!
Hold tight! (Heb. 10:23)
Persist! (Gal. 6:9)
Persevere! (Jam. 1:12)
Don’t be discouraged if your waiting feels long. That is real. Even the man after God’s own heart knew the feeling intimately. But know this: God has a new song for you to sing. It is a hymn of praise that will draw many to His name. It is yours to sing, and it is coming! But my friend, the singing comes immediately after the waiting you now know.
So loosen up those vocal cords! The singing comes second, and the waiting is drawing to an end!