I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth-praise to our God. Many will see it and fear, And will trust in our God. Psalm 40: 1-3, NKJV.
Holy Father, with gratitude we come before You, thanking You for Your everlasting love and care. Please remain with us throughout our study for Christ’s sake; Amen.
Our scripture today is taken from a Psalm of David. It speaks both of despair and deliverance. Perhaps many of us can identify with David, under both circumstances. I believe however, that the most difficult period in any situation, is the waiting period; and yet that seems to be where everything has its beginning. David said, “I waited patiently on the Lord. It would be interesting to find out what would have been the outcome, had David not waited on the LORD.
His life seems to have been comprised of many periods of waiting. To mention only two instances: Although he was anointed king, he had to wait until the death of Saul to occupy the throne. At one point, although he was the crowned king, he had to wait until the death of his son Absalom, who tried to dethrone his father; to come back to Jerusalem, and to the throne. In Psalm 27 David declares: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (13).
Faith is a great propelling force when we are waiting on the LORD. If David did not believe that he would one day see God’s salvation, the Bible says that he would have lost heart! The King James Version uses the word “fainted.” Sometimes the waiting period is so long, it seems that it will never come to an end; it is then, we need to believe, that even in this life; we will see God’s goodness at work in our world, and in our lives.
It behooves us to remember that “one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day” with the LORD (2 Peter 3: 8). God is neither subject to, nor, limited by, time. He is in control of time, therefore God will never be late in coming to our rescue! We need to ask Him to set our clocks according to His time piece.
The prophet Micah, during a time of great perplexity could say the following: “Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me” (Micah 7: 7). He would remain focused by looking to the LORD, as he waited upon Him! By looking away from the LORD it is easy for us to become discouraged. All around us is calamity, death, and destruction. There is disappointment, deceit, and injustice. How we need to look to the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12: 3)!
Perhaps one of the most difficult times of waiting is when we feel that we have been treated unfairly. But it is at these times, perhaps more than any other, that we need to wait on the LORD, “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and [H]e shall save thee” (Proverbs 20: 22). When we, who bear the name of the LORD, learn to wait upon the Lord, “Many will see it and fear, And will trust in our God.“