A NEW SONG

Psalm 40:1-3

^{1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,[a]
    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.}

Have you ever had a song that has gotten stuck in your head? Maybe just a few bars or a phrase? This is a common phenomenon that happens to a lot of us. Scientists don’t completely understand what is happening with our brains, but they these looping songs are called earworms. Earworms can happen for a variety of reasons and one of the thoughts is that we are more prone to them during times of stress. If we think of a looping song stuck in our head, it is symbolic of us feeling at times stuck in life and unable to move forward.

In Psalm 40, we are reminded that God puts a new song in our mouths. As we tend to get stuck in the familiar either because of comfort or because of stress, it is God that calls us through change and into something that is beautiful and new. Where are there places in your life that you might feel stuck or stressed? Where could God be calling you to something new and different?

Prayer

God of love and light, you rescue us from stress and difficult things in this world by putting new creations in our lives. Allow us to see possibility and change as a good thing in our lives. For in new songs and melodies, we find your love ready for us. In Jesus name, Amen.