All too often you may find yourself in the noisy pits of life—maybe you are there right now. The stresses of life that seem overwhelming; the obstacles that seem insurmountable; the painful moments of heartache; the unknowns; the “what if” thoughts; the thoughts of “How am I going to make it through?!”; each of these can flood our minds with noise—they can be deafening, debilitating, and defeating.
So what do you do? How do you cope? How do you get through? HOW DO YOU QUIET YOUR NOISY SOUL? How do you find peace IN these noisy pits during these storms of life? IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE—CAN YOU HAVE QUIETNESS IN YOUR SOUL and actually be able to have peace even though the storms of life rage on?
The answer is YES! YES!! Yes a thousand times over!! You can and by God’s grace you will.
Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour [weary] and are heavy laden [beaten down], and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek [gentle] and lowly [humble] in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
The key to quietness in your soul is found in coming to Christ.
Over these past few weeks, God has given me the privilege of repeated opportunities to counsel those who are going through these storms of life while finding themselves stuck in a “noisy pit.” In each of these times, the Lord has brought me to Psalm 40 peeling back a new layer of truth, shedding further light upon its stabilizing truths.
In Psalm 40:1-3 David writes, “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.”
Consider his trial: David is obviously in a significant trial of life. It is a trial that causes him to “cry” out to the Lord in desperation. It is a trial that keeps on going and requires “patience” as he learns to “wait patiently” for the Lord. It is a trial that has brought into his mind noise—thoughts of noisy unrest. It is a trial that has brought instability—standing in the “miry clay.” It is a trial in which his song is an “old song” which is depressing and often filled with complaint possibly feeling undeserving of this difficulty.
The phrase “horrible pit” literally means a “pit of noise.” In these trials we often succumb to noise in our souls as we strain to cope with the trying circumstances. This noise refers to how we are thinking. Naturally we can be prone to think anxious thoughts during these times. We dig a rut that becomes deeper and deeper the more we think this way. This truly is an “horrible pit” that God wants to bring us out of.
Metaphorically, the “miry clay” calls attention to our unstable footing—being unsure of what is happening, how we will get through this, all while asking “Why me?!” This only adds to the anxiety—the noise—as we contemplate the unknowns and the “what ifs.”
Consider his confidence: While still in the storm of his life, we see David’s confidence come to the forefront. We see that his attitude is “patient” waiting, knowing that God has heard his prayer and his confidence that HE will do something about it.
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined [leaned in close to listen] unto me, and heard [listened intently to] my cry.” ( Psalm 40:1)
Knowing that God hears our prayer should bring great confidence as we consider who God is and what He does. Often we don’t even pray because we don’t see the benefit. But in times like these if we do pray, lacking this confidence, we can find ourselves in a hopeless prayer just going through the motions. Prayer is a vital lifeline especially in the storms of life. Knowing that God hears our prayer as we pray according to His Word brings peace. Consider Paul’s words,
“Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer [worship] and supplication [attitude of need / humility] with thanksgiving [attitude of gratitude] let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)
Biblical prayer is praying with the right attitude. It is coming before the God of the universe in worship with a humble heart of dependence and thankfulness laying our “requests”—our burdens before Him. If we want God to listen we must NOT come to Him demanding but worshiping—humbly making “requests.”
Paul goes on to speak of the promised peace of God…
“And the peace of God, which [sur]passeth [transcends] all understanding, shall keep [guard] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
This “peace of God” transcends our understanding—it is the kind of peace someone has that seems impossible at that moment. This is the peace that God promises to us when we pray Biblically.
Consider his peace: David, still in this storm of life speaks of this peace and stability that God gives him.
“He [the LORD] brought me up also out of an horrible pit [a pit of noise], out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” (Psalm 40:2)
David is brought out of the “pit of noise” to having peace on the “rock.” He is lifted out of the “pit of noise” as has victory over his noisy thinking. The rut of thought he has dug begins to be filled in with the truth of God. The “rock” is truth—it is the Word of God, manifested in the man, Christ Jesus. David has fixed His mind upon the Lord, INTENTIONALLY thinking upon what he knows to be true about HIM. He is INTENTIONALLY thinking upon the stabilizing truths of God and as a result the noise in his soul quiets into peaceful rest. Consider this promise from the prophet Isaiah,
“Thou [God] wilt keep him in perfect [constant] peace, whose mind is stayed [fixed] on Thee: because he trusteth [commits himself and is confident] in Thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)
God’s promise to the person who fixes their mind—diligently, intentionally thinks—upon Him will enjoy the “perfect peace” of God. Intentionally thinking on His unending love and almighty power, His grace and mercy, His forgiveness and compassion, and all the wonderful truths of God found in His Word brings us confidence.
Keep in mind that NEGATIVE, ANXIOUS thinking leads to NOISY, UNSTABLE living while GODLY thinking leads to PEACEFUL, STABLE living.
Consider his song: The old song of heartache and trouble of trial and tribulation is filled with sadness and complaint. This is figurative language of our words and conversations as we seek to cope with our struggles. David says,
“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.” (Psalm 40:3)
David speaks of a “new song”—a song that is characterized by “praise unto our God.” Moving from the pit to the rock—from the noisy mind to the quiet soul brings a “new song.” The reality is that when in the storms of life we intentionally think upon the Lord, worshiping the Him in humble, thankful prayer we can enjoy God’s transcendent peace. Naturally we will overflow with a new song of praise—praising God for His goodness to us.
Consider his testimony: “…many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” As David sings in his suffering he brings glory to God and grace to others. This song of praise flowing beautifully off David lips causes people to respond with awe and wonder. As a result of David’s peace, we see his praise to God—as a result of David’s praise we see others turn to the Lord, trusting in Him.
God desires to use the trials of life to get our attention and to turn our hearts to Him. He desires to use us for His purposes—for His glory. He truly wants what is BEST for us. God’s best for us is to know His peace and give Him praise—to know His peace in our storms and give testimony of His guidance and care.
So what do you do in the storms of life? How do you cope? How do you get through? HOW DO YOU QUIET YOUR NOISY SOUL? How do you find peace IN these “noisy pits” during these storms of life?
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED CHRIST? Have you thought about God’s purpose for you in this struggle that you face? Do you know the peace of God that leads to the praise of God? Learn to INTENTIONALLY think upon the Lord and let Him quiet your noisy soul bringing you transcendent peace in the storms of life.
