Psalm 40:1-16 (KJV): The Lord heard my cry, brought me up out of an horrible pit

From Psalms

Psalm 40:1-16
(For the director of music. Of David. A Psalm.)

¹I waited patiently for the LORD;
      and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
²He 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.
³And 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.

⁴Blessed is that man
      that maketh the LORD his trust,
and respecteth not the proud,
      nor such as turn aside to lies.
⁵Many, O LORD my God,
      are thy wonderful works which thou hast done,
and thy thoughts which are to us-ward:
      they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee:
if I would declare and speak of them,
      they are more than can be numbered.

⁶Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire;
      mine ears hast thou opened:
burnt offering and sin offering
      hast thou not required.
⁷Then said I, Lo, I come:
      in the volume of the book it is written of me,
⁸I delight to do thy will, O my God:
      yea, thy law is within my heart.

⁹I have preached righteousness in the great congregation:
      lo, I have not refrained my lips,
      O LORD, thou knowest.
¹⁰I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart;
      I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation:
I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth
      from the great congregation.

¹¹Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD:
      let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
¹²For innumerable evils have compassed me about:
      mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up;
they are more than the hairs of mine head:
      therefore my heart faileth me.

¹³Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me:
      O LORD, make haste to help me.
¹⁴Let them be ashamed and confounded together
      that seek after my soul to destroy it;
let them be driven backward and put to shame
      that wish me evil.
¹⁵Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame
      that say unto me, Aha, aha.
¹⁶Let all those that seek thee
      rejoice and be glad in thee:
let such as love thy salvation say continually,
      The LORD be magnified.

Working all 12 steps and going through all 150 psalms is a long time - and it seems I am barely halfway through.  However, through both of these I have been patient and diligent.  In my patience God has seen fit to pull me out of my pit of addiction (see Psalm 7).

Although I may go through periods of stress or uncertainty where part of me is looking to turn to my addictions I know I can always turn to the Lord.  Even in days when the stress and uncertainty doesn't turn me to my addiction I now turn to the Lord.  Like today I need help with my marriage - things are incredibly tense between me and my wife right now.  Despite all that I am not feeling a need right now to turn to my addiction.  I am able to share it with my Lord and he is starting to present other options in my life.

Then to move on to verse three.  Quite literally, as I make my journey through recovery, I find that the Lord has put a new song in my heart.  I now find my self listening to Christian radio stations.  This is something that I never used to do.  However, I find that they help bridge that gap between Sundays and put the rest of my life.  Some days, in fact, I'm not sure what I would do without them.

Thanks for letting me share.