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I grew up watching the Lone Ranger television show. Like most westerns, common scenes included saloon fights, train robberies and gun fights. Another was someone falling into quicksand. Do you remember? No matter how much the person struggled, he or she sank. Often villains trapped in quicksand sank to their deaths. But the heroes were always rescued in the nick of time.
Being stuck in a slimy mire is used in Psalm 40:1-3 to describe how much we need God. “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” (NIV)
What amazes me the most in this psalm is not God rescuing the psalmist and setting him on firm ground. No, I’m amazed by the first phrase. “I waited patiently for the Lord.” If I were sinking in quicksand, I would not be patience. I’d want to be saved now. But maybe our mental attitude is a lot like quicksand. The more we thrash around, the faster we sink in despair. When we’re caught in a problem, we need to calm down, turn to God and wait on him.
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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.