A New Song
Written by Matt Carlson
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
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.
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.
Psalm 40:1-3
It was the middle of summer at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach. I stepped onto the amphitheater stage with my band to play our biggest show ever—a crowd of 4,000 people from what the city estimated! (We now jokingly refer to it as the Concert on the Mount!) From the moment we hit the downbeat until the very last note of our set, the dance floor was packed, people were singing along, and we were all having the time of our lives. What a blessing it was to play music I love with some of my best friends and share it with a community of concertgoers! I was on cloud nine for several days. However, that level of joy was a long time coming from the “pit” I had been in years before.
After several years of working at a super stressful job—one that wasn’t remotely related to what God called me to do—I felt more anxiety and depression than ever before. I believe God called me to create music, and working in a field as far from that as possible left me in deep despair. The situation got so bad that I took an emergency mental health leave to figure out my next steps.
God intervened and gradually helped me out of the “pit” I had been in. I felt divinely inspired to start a guitar repair business and with His blessing, it’s grown faster than I could have imagined. This allowed me to shift into making a living as a full-time musician by composing/songwriting, gigging with my band, and being a guitar technician. God literally “put a new song in my mouth” as I have now written/recorded my first album, played hundreds of shows with my band, and serviced thousands of guitars in my workshop.
By bringing about this change in circumstances, God lifted me from the “mud and mire” of my depression and anxiety. Through much prayer and treatment, I can thankfully say I’m in a much better place than I was ten years ago. Though this last year has been emotionally difficult for completely different reasons, I know that God has gotten me out of a “pit” before, and He can do it again.
For anyone struggling with a similar situation, I encourage you to hold fast to your relationship with Jesus and trust in Him, as He has experienced our pain to the fullest. When we trust in Him, He can help us out of it. We know what God has done to help us in the past and we know that He can do it again.
Christmas reminds me that God can bring about joy from the most dire of circumstances, just like He did by coming into the world to live amongst us so that we may know Him.
After several years of working at a super stressful job—one that wasn’t remotely related to what God called me to do—I felt more anxiety and depression than ever before. I believe God called me to create music, and working in a field as far from that as possible left me in deep despair. The situation got so bad that I took an emergency mental health leave to figure out my next steps.
God intervened and gradually helped me out of the “pit” I had been in. I felt divinely inspired to start a guitar repair business and with His blessing, it’s grown faster than I could have imagined. This allowed me to shift into making a living as a full-time musician by composing/songwriting, gigging with my band, and being a guitar technician. God literally “put a new song in my mouth” as I have now written/recorded my first album, played hundreds of shows with my band, and serviced thousands of guitars in my workshop.
By bringing about this change in circumstances, God lifted me from the “mud and mire” of my depression and anxiety. Through much prayer and treatment, I can thankfully say I’m in a much better place than I was ten years ago. Though this last year has been emotionally difficult for completely different reasons, I know that God has gotten me out of a “pit” before, and He can do it again.
For anyone struggling with a similar situation, I encourage you to hold fast to your relationship with Jesus and trust in Him, as He has experienced our pain to the fullest. When we trust in Him, He can help us out of it. We know what God has done to help us in the past and we know that He can do it again.
Christmas reminds me that God can bring about joy from the most dire of circumstances, just like He did by coming into the world to live amongst us so that we may know Him.
Reflective Question
for the Day
What is a “pit” that God has pulled you out of in the past?
What “pit” do you need to be lifted from now?
Matt Carlson, as a very young child, once woke up on December 23rd thinking it was Christmas morning and rushed to open a present under the tree, only to discover it was not yet that time. Walking through the South Torrance Christmas lights neighborhood with friends is one of Matt’s favorite Christmas traditions. Of course, he loves Christmas music and it’s one of many things that brings him joy this time of year.