Muscle Memory

Jun 16, 2022

Psalm 40 opens with powerful words from David, acknowledging what God has done for him, and the deep trust David has in his Heavenly Father.

As I read and prayed through this psalm, my mind immediately filled with a nostalgic tune from childhood. What is it about certain songs from childhood that you NEVER forget?

I was reminded of the song “Trust” by Shout Praises Kids. I sang these lyrics week in and week out in Sunday School and was amazed that, 15 years later, they instantly came back to me. The lyrics of “Trust” match almost word for word the opening verses of Psalm 40:

I waited patiently for the Lord on high, and he heard my cry!

And he saved me from my destruction, he set my feet upon the rock.

Gave me a new direction, and filled me with a song! Filled me with a song!

So I will put my trust in the Lord!

I will put my trust in the Lord, my God!

I was pleased to find that, not only did I remember the cheesy, overly enthusiastic tune of this iconic Sunday School jam, but I also remembered every dance move. And no, I will not be offering proof of that in our childrens’ services anytime soon :)

David’s actual words say in Psalm 40:1-3 say:

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 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.

3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

David and Shout Praises Kids acknowledge what God has done and proclaim the goodness of our Savior. I love that this idea is ingrained in my heart, with dance moves and all, because isn’t that how we should all live? With an automatic awareness of God’s all-powerful nature. If we knew Him and His character as well as we knew lyrics or dance moves to a song, boy we’d really trust Him then, wouldn’t we?

David was able to wait on the Lord and trust Him because he remembered God’s provisions in the past and was expectant towards the future. This is the anthem we want to teach our kids, these are the words we want ingrained in our hearts: He saved me from my destruction! He gave me a new direction! So I will put my trust in Him!

I think, today, God is inviting us to know Him more deeply. Not the kind of knowledge that’s confined to an hour on a Sunday morning or a simple five minute podcast devotional, as great as those can be. God wants us to know Him like the dance moves we’ve been doing for years or the song we can’t get out of our head. He wants us to know Him with muscle memory, so when the world gets dark, and the storms rage, the first thing our hearts will do is turn to Him. Our automatic response will be trust.

Do you have that kind of deep intimacy with God? Does your muscle memory turn to your Father? He’s inviting you deeper. And He’s promising to show up.

Let’s take a step towards a deeper relationship with Him. Maybe it’s joining a table group, finding an accountability partner, carving out extra space with Jesus, or getting your hands dirty being a good neighbor. However it looks for you, God wants to bring you in closer than ever before.

When we seek Him, when we memorize His words like lyrics to a song and train our bodies to run to Him like the moves to our favorite dance, then we will learn to truly TRUST the God of the Universe.