God Lifts Us From the Pit

There are seasons in life when you don’t just feel sad you feel stuck. It’s as though you’re chest-deep in mud, trying to move forward, but every effort only pulls you down further. You pray. You cry out. You ask God for relief. And then you wait.

Psalm 40 speaks directly to that place.

“I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
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.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:1–3)

These verses offer more than poetic comfort. They reveal a pattern a divine process that unfolds in the life of every believer who walks through discouragement and waiting. If you are in a “pit” season right now, Psalm 40 reminds you that your waiting is not wasted.

The Reality of the Pit

King David does not specify what his “pit of destruction” was. That omission is a gift. It allows every reader to see their own struggle reflected in the text whether it’s illness, betrayal, financial strain, unanswered prayers, or spiritual dryness.

Scripture makes it clear that seasons of hardship are not unusual for God’s people. In fact, studies show that nearly 70 percent of adults report experiencing a major life crisis that significantly shapes their worldview. Trials are not rare interruptions; they are part of the human journey.

Even more sobering, research consistently reveals that prolonged waiting whether for healing, employment, or reconciliation can increase stress levels and feelings of isolation. Yet the Bible acknowledges this emotional reality. Fifteen times in the Psalms, we read the anguished cry, “How long, O Lord?”

Waiting is one of the great tests of faith.

God’s Sovereignty in the Delay

It is tempting to interpret delay as absence. When heaven seems silent, we may assume God has stepped away. But Scripture teaches otherwise. James 4:15 reminds us that every detail of our lives unfolds under the will of the Lord. Nothing is random.

Psalm 40 does not say David escaped the pit by chance. It says the Lord “inclined” to him. God bent down. He listened. He acted.

The delay was not neglect. It was preparation.

Across the Bible, waiting is often the classroom of faith. Abraham waited decades for the promised son. Joseph endured years of injustice before stepping into leadership. Even in the New Testament, after the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples were instructed to wait for the Holy Spirit. God frequently works in hidden ways before visible breakthroughs appear.

In our modern culture, where everything is instant messages, deliveries, streaming content the spiritual discipline of waiting feels unnatural. Yet spiritual growth rarely happens instantly. Studies in behavioral psychology suggest that deep character change typically requires consistent practice over extended time. The soul forms slowly.

God’s timing almost never matches ours. “A thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past” (Psalm 90:4). What feels unbearable to us is never out of control to Him.

Three Gifts Hidden in the Waiting

When David looks back, he identifies three powerful outcomes of his season in the pit: new security, a new song, and new significance.

1. New Security

“He set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”

Before the pit, David may have thought he was steady. But nothing reveals the strength of your foundation like sinking ground. Trials expose what we are standing on.

When God lifts us out, the stability feels different. It is not theoretical trust it is tested trust. It is confidence born not from comfort, but from experience.

Many believers testify that their deepest assurance of God’s faithfulness came not during easy seasons, but after surviving intense trials. Surveys among practicing Christians often reveal that personal crises become turning points in spiritual maturity. Faith becomes less abstract and more anchored.

The rock is not our circumstances improving. The rock is the unchanging character of God.

2. A New Song

“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.”

Notice that the song comes after the waiting.

There is a kind of worship that can only be sung by someone who has walked through darkness and seen God bring deliverance. It carries weight. It carries gratitude shaped by memory.

Music therapists often note that singing and praise can lower anxiety and increase hope. Scripture anticipated that truth long ago. Praise reshapes perspective.

But this is not superficial positivity. It is not pretending the pit didn’t hurt. It is worship that emerges from survival. It is thanksgiving forged in fire.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 says, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.” That paradox makes sense in light of Psalm 40. Certain depths of joy cannot exist without first passing through sorrow.

The new song is evidence that the pit did not have the final word.

3. New Significance

“Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”

David’s testimony did not stop with him.

When God lifts someone out of despair, others notice. Your story becomes someone else’s encouragement. Your deliverance becomes a doorway for another person’s faith.

In fact, sociological research shows that personal testimony is one of the most powerful influences on belief formation. People are often moved more by lived experience than abstract argument. When others see your steady trust in the middle of hardship or your praise after deliverance they are confronted with a reality beyond themselves.

Your waiting may be shaping a testimony that will strengthen someone else.

We rarely see this part while we are still in the mud. But God often uses private pain to produce public witness.

How to Wait Well

David says, “I waited patiently for the Lord.” That phrase can feel impossible when emotions are raw. Patient waiting does not mean passive resignation. It means hopeful expectation.

It means continuing to cry out.
It means refusing to numb your heart.
It means choosing to trust even when answers delay.

Patient waiting acknowledges that God is working even when we cannot trace His hand.

During waiting seasons, consider these practices:

• Stay rooted in Scripture, even when it feels dry.

• Keep praying honestly, not just politely.

• Surround yourself with faith-filled community.

• Record small evidences of God’s faithfulness.

These habits keep your heart aligned with truth while time unfolds.

Seeing Purpose When It Feels Pointless

One of the hardest questions in any trial is this: What is the point?

Psalm 40 suggests that purpose is often revealed backward. David understood the meaning of his pit after he was lifted out.

While you are still waiting, you may not see the full picture. But you can cling to what is already clear: God hears. God bends low. God lifts. God establishes. God gives songs. God uses stories.

The pit is not permanent. The mud does not define you. The waiting is not wasted.

Some of the most powerful faith in the world is being forged quietly in seasons no one else sees. And when the Lord sets your feet upon the rock, you will sing differently. You will stand differently. You will speak differently.

And many will see.

If this message encouraged you, consider sharing it with someone who may be waiting in their own pit, or subscribe to our newsletter to receive more uplifting reflections like this.