WAIT PATIENTLY ON THE LORD

SCRIPTURE:

“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.”  (Psalms 40:1—3)

OBSERVATION:

            King David tested moments where he said here, I WAITED PATIENTLY for the Lord.  People wait for many things to happen.  And perhaps, like David, we are tested and may even be forced to wait.  Waiting is such a challenging time for all of us.  I know it is for me.  But waiting patiently takes us to the next level.   Sometimes, we want God to act on our timeline.  However, it is the other way around for us.  We must wait on his timing, and his timing does not depend on our circumstances but on his will and his purpose.

            We are sometimes being pushed not just to wait for something but to WAIT PATIENTLY for something.  This doesn’t sound like fun at all.  I am a very impatient person.  David waited for the Lord patiently.  He waited for him to turn to him and to hear his cry.  And the Lord did.  In essence, David said, I WAITED PATIENTLY for the Lord, and HE TURNED AND HEARD MY CRY. 

            Waiting for the Lord to turn to us and to hear our cries sometimes requires us to be patient and trust that He will turn.  Waiting Patiently and trusting the Lord will always be rewarded.  Here is what happened when King David waited patiently for the Lord:

• The Lord TURNED to him
• The Lord HEARD his cry…The Lord is mindful and always hears prayers.
• The Lord LIFTED him out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire…There are many times we find ourselves trapped in slippery situations and may also be covered in muddy issues of life, but God is able to LIFT US OUT if we are willing to wait patiently for Him.
• The Lord SET his feet on a rock and gave him a FIRM place to stand
• The Lord PUT a new song in his mouth and hymn of praise to our God

The blessing of WAITING PATIENTLY for the Lord leads King David to see God in action. He sees the blessing of waiting and not rushing to do things on his own strength. People struggle and strive to survive and become weary of living. King David said that after God put a new song in his mouth, many people would see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. 

Our struggles and waiting patiently for the Lord to turn to us are not just for our sake but for the watching world to see our God in action on our behalf.  It is quite hard and challenging to sing when things are not going well.  But when God turns and hears us and works on our behalf, we cannot help but declare that our God is a good God. 

No struggle is pleasant.  But when God is in our problems with us, we can trust in him to lift us out and set our feet on solid ground.  God will put a new song in our mouths, a song of praise that many will hear and put their trust in him.  God has a purpose in your struggles.  Just wait patiently for him, and he will turn everything around when we learn to trust his purpose. 

APPLICATION:

            I know I am not a patient person.  I often mess things up because of my impatience.  However, today, I received this truth from King David.  I need to learn how not just to wait for waiting but to wait with expectancy and trust in God’s purpose.  I will continue to place my full trust in God, who is able to lift me out of my struggles, set my feet a solid rock, and make me sing even in my challenges. 

PRAYER:

            Jesus, I am grateful for today’s lesson from King David, which taught me to wait patiently for you to act on your own timing. Please help me to wait patiently for you to act. Please forgive me for the times that I acted alone and did not wait for you to guide and lead me.  I thank you for trusting your timing, and I do not need to strive and struggle unnecessarily.  Please teach me to trust you always.  Amen!