I saw a quote from a young adult who said that he had thought as a child, based on the evidence of cartoons, that quicksand would be a much bigger problem in life than it is. Here our Psalmist describes emotional quicksand. When we divide these verses into “Then” and “Now,” we can see that “Then” the writer felt he was sinking in quicksand, and his mouth is full of cries. “Now” he is on firmer ground, secure as he stands, and his mouth has a new song to sing. The Psalmist says when people see what God did for him, they also will begin to trust God.
What happened between quicksand and firm ground? What happened between no song and a new song? Maybe days, weeks, or months happened. Slogging and struggling happened. Excruciating patience and endurance happened. Crying and praying, sorrow and anger happened. And probably, because the Psalmist is very honest, he expressed all of it to God. The Psalmist must have been willing and able not just to express it all but to move forward as well. And then God happened. God transformed the confusion and pain into new life, new faith, and healing.
God takes our honest expression of whatever we are feeling and thinking and fully hears it all. God uses our willingness to pull past the pain, to help us to move. Once it is expressed and processed, once we are willing to move, that hurt can begin to heal. The ground underneath our lives firms up. We can move forward, out of the quicksand, and into a renewed life. We can find a song on our lips again where before there were only cries. The Psalmist says when others see how the Lord listened and helped him, they will want to trust in Him as well. It’s good to remember and believe that God will not leave us in quicksand but will surely move us onto solid ground.