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. (Psalm 40:3)

There is a song in your heart. Did you know that? The song in your heart celebrates what you consider worthy of celebration. You consider worthy of celebration that in which your soul delights. You delight in — with the song of your heart — that in which your soul finds satisfaction.

This does not mean your soul is as satisfied as it could be, or that your soul is satisfied with the things that it should be. In fact, many people celebrate things that aren’t necessarily worthy of celebration. Sadly, billions praise those things that starve their souls and drive them to the brink of eternal death. Some are still singing as they fall off the cliff into outer darkness. That would be us, too, if God had not given us another song to sing — a “new” song.

There is another song that celebrates true soul satisfaction. The “new” song put in the heart by God’s grace is one that celebrates him, not our worth or the quality of our praise. The psalmist sings, “He put a new song in my mouth.”

Put There by God

The song is there. The song has been “put” there by God. God! It has not been “earned” by the feeble works of man. The psalmist doesn’t say, “I learned a new song! I earned a new song! A song of praise by, and for, my efforts, my wisdom, my riches, my greatness!” This “new” song is a celebration in the mouth of the psalmist, but he is not arrogantly praising himself. The next phrase shows that the evidence of God’s grace has been joyfully received and rejoiced in, not earned. He says that this new song is “a song of praise to our God!”

Why? Because the psalmist had said,

I waited patiently for the Lᴏʀᴅ; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. (Psalm 40:1–2)

God Is the Goal

This new song celebrates God! It rejoices in God! It sings about God! The psalmist waited patiently for the Lord! The Lord inclined to his cry! The Lord drew him up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, set his feet upon a solid rock, and made his steps secure!

This song celebrates God for who he is and for what he has done. This is the “new song.”

The heart that has been changed by the gospel sings the praise of the Savior. For only in Jesus, we have been redeemed. We have been saved from our sins that have separated us from our God. We have been raised from our spiritual death to walk in the newness of eternal life. We have received and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of future and final redemption. We have been called out of darkness and into his marvelous light to proclaim his praises. He is our new song.

Our circumstances are not our song. Jesus is.

When we gather for corporate worship, it is to share in this gift of “new heart-song” praise to our God together, both as individuals and as those who can truly call this God “ours.” The heart of the psalmist should also be “our” heart as he proclaims, “Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lᴏʀᴅ.”

As we celebrate the salvation of God through Jesus Christ and in the power of his Holy Spirit, our song will show others the soul satisfaction we have experienced. This should be our desire as we come together — with our new heart-song — to praise God publicly and joyfully.

Even through sorrowful waiting and painful trusting, our song of praise — though at times with a lamenting melody — will yet praise him, for our circumstances are not our song. He is our song! And he is worthy of celebration!