In a concert stadium in Denver, tens of thousands gathered to sing unwittingly from the Psalter. Joining rock band U2 in a chorus of praise from Psalm 40 they sang, “I will sing, sing a new song!” Ironically, when the song closed, and Bono and the band departed, the presumably unbelieving crowd continued to sing: “How long to sing this song… How long to sing this song!” In their amplified chorus, these men and women embedded in the miry pit of Psalm 40, sing of a reality that most of them know nothing about. Yet in their throats resound with words of praise to our God.

The illuminating point and sobering challenge to Christians is this: We who have tasted and seen the goodness of God, how loud do we sing our songs? Do these unbelievers bear louder witness than we? If so, we must turn up the volume, for surely the power of our praise has a far greater amplifier—the blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the gospel. Moreover, in hearing their song, we must have a responsibility to explain to others the deliverance that can be had in Jesus Christ.

May we this week, who know the benefits of Christ (Ps. 103), cry out to the Lord if we are wallowing the pit or suffering the effects of this rugged life; and if we have been plucked out of the miry bog, may we look for those pleading souls and tell them how they too might find the solid rock of Jesus–not in a concert, but in a Christ!