The Template for Breakthrough
Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, praise unto our God: many shall see, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
In reflecting on how a testimony can demonstrate the difference between an act of God and the greatest achievements of human effort, I looked at Psalm 40:3 with a different perspective. David is described as receiving a new song and then saying that many will see, and fear the Lord, and put their trust in Him.
And look back to verse 1 to see such a result is the byproduct of waiting on the Lord.
Psalm 40 reminds us that our breakthroughs can become the stepping stones to other people’s come-throughs.
Psalm 40 illustrates the spiritual “domino effect” that our breakthroughs can trigger.
Our breakthroughs are special events designed to get through to other people, to draw their attention to what God has done, to show what He can do to turn a situation around, with the first step being trust.
Waiting is a manifestation of trust. Trust in Another.
A testimony is not simply a story of success; it is a witness to God’s work and an invitation for others to place their trust in Him.
What I see in Psalm 40:1–3 is truly a divine template for breakthrough. David begins by waiting, and his waiting goes deeper than simply waiting a little longer. But the byproduct of his waiting is his extraction from what he calls the horrible pit and the miry clay, and from the net that was set for his feet, so that ultimately, he is standing upon a rock.
Here we see the first evidence, or stage, of a testimony: extraction from a situation or condition beyond a person’s ability to escape.
But in the immediate period following his extraction, David doesn’t move any further and worships the Lord for what He has done. He responds with a song of worship. Worship is always the response to an extraction.
Now, because David’s extraction was not simply a hidden event, but rather a deliverance in the public view, everyone could see what was impossible to escape, and says “many shall see what God has done” and experience what Scripture calls “the fear of the Lord.”
For the purposes of a testimony, the byproduct of this fear is not simply that people fear Him, but that they make a decision to put their trust in the Lord.
So, if you find yourself in a situation that you can’t seem to get out of, and the people around you recognize that there is no way you could have extricated yourself from that situation and experienced breakthrough on your own – REJOICE!
This may be an ideal situation in which to witness the power of God. You see, God doesn’t seem to be attracted to the probable. No, rather, God is glorified in the impossible.
The Gospel is a divine invitation for men to give God their impossibles.
We have to remember that Paul described Christians as overcomers.
The first victory is to “come over” to the side of God, for without that first victory, all the other victories become meaningless.
That’s why church should not simply be a gathering of religious people, but rather an army of battle-tested believers who have witnessed God’s mighty works and are trusting Him for greater works.
Remember that Jesus was the One who prophesied over believers concerning the greater works.
It’s not just a matter of good works; it is also a matter of greater works and works that remain.