Psalms 40:1-4 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 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. 3 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. 4Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

The miry bog. That’s what abuse is like in many ways. It sucks you down and holds you in a muddy vacuum that seems impossible to get out of. It is indeed “the pit of destruction,” always pulling you down, down, down. It sucks away your confidence. It saps your joy. It erodes the very essence of your being as a human being. It makes you sick, in every way, including physically. And then along comes the Lord Jesus Christ:

  • He inclined to me
  • He heard my cry
  • He drew me up
  • He set my feet upon a rock
  • He put a new song in my mouth

Many of you can testify to these things personally. While others passed you by, Jesus inclined to you. Have you ever heard something in the distance, or thought you did? “Hey, is that someone calling for help?” You stopped, you said “listen,” and you turned/inclined your head so your ears could get the maximum reception. “There it is again! Someone is in trouble!”  And off you went. Jesus Christ does that for His people. “Is that one of My lambs in trouble?”  Be assured and never doubt. He is the Good Shepherd. He hears our cry. Keeping crying. Keep calling.

And then He drew me up. The sucking pull of that pit of abuse is strong. “I will never let you go!” Deliverance seems impossible. But the Psalmist wants ALL of us to know — Christ is mighty. He is Almighty. He is able to draw YOU out of that pit of destruction.

How many of you can testify to the same? He set my feet upon a ROCK! He put a new song in my mouth. Your life has returned and you are singing again. For those who have experienced this salvation, sing away! For you who are still in that pit, keep crying out and don’t stop!  Make the Lord your trust.

And here is a final word from this Scripture for all of us. Listen carefully because here is God’s wisdom.

Trust in the Lord for your deliverance. Do not do what so many of us spent so much time doing and which only enabled the sucking strength of the pit. Namely, do not put your trust in prideful, arrogant people who have chased after a lie and are laying that lie upon you, all the while pretending pridefully to be speaking the Lord’s truth. That is to say, don’t listen to the standard “christian” and “biblical” nonsense they spew out to you, telling you that abuse is not grounds for divorce, that counseling can fix your marriage, that you are unforgiving if you don’t do what they want, that…..well, you all can fill in the rest of this diabolical list.

Yep, that’s what the Lord calls all these people: Christians, pastors, counselors, authors — who are giving all this horrid advice and even commands to abuse victims — He says they are PROUD. They are full of themselves. And He says that they are people who have gone astray and have embraced a lie. Isn’t that amazing? A LIE! Think of it! Most of the teaching and counseling abuse victims have been receiving is a LIE. And it is the pride of man that feeds it.

Look to Christ. Open HIS Word. What is the character of the Lord that is presented there? Look at Jesus in the Gospels. Do you see Him dealing with abuse victims and the oppressed in the same way the majority of Christians have been taught to? Or do you see the Good Shepherd hearing the lamb’s cry and pulling His own out of that destruction?

He set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. That’s what His truth does. It restores not only our joy, but our confidence and faith. Plant your feet upon that Rock and proceed to walk now with confidence. It really is true. The truth shall set you free.