Wait patiently

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.                                              Psalm 40.1

What a precious picture these words paint. And what a lesson they present. The psalmist waits for God. Likely he has some need that he wants God to help with. He might even be desperate for assistance, like, “Help me now! Where are You, Lord?” He has to wait. We are told he waited patiently. If this is true, it is possible that it came after some impatient waiting. I know this to be so from my own experience.

There have been times when I have been so ready for God to do something. But God hasn’t! It has seemed as if He has no interest in me. At other times God has moved, but not in the way I might expect. At yet other times He seems to leave me to my own devices. His word says that He works for the good in all things, for me! – for I surely love Him as the Scripture conditions, and I certainly feel called according to His will.

Well, good has come forth but, often, it has taken a long time for me to be able to see this. I think this is part of God’s cultivation of patience in me. Do I now wait patiently for the Lord? Not entirely, but perhaps a little more patiently than previously.

The other, wonderful aspect that this verse reveals is that God heard the psalmist’s cry and, furthermore, He turned to him. This is good news par excellence. God hears! Again we have his promise for this:

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be
found by you” declares the LORD.  (Jer. 29.12, 13)

God will hear me. I must persist. I must never give up. I must be patient. When I am, He turns to me, He hears my cry. But, more than this, He responds. The psalmist tells us what God did for him:

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
and put their trust on the Lord. (vv 2, 3)

God delivered the psalmist out of his strife. He gave him a sure foothold. He introduced a new song into his life, a song of praise and joy.

Furthermore, the psalmist’s experience was an example to many. It was an example of the very practical way in which God demonstrates His amazing love for us.

Praise God! Praise Him to the highest heavens!

Lord God,

I sometimes struggle with the issue of patience, with my waiting patiently on You, that is. I am sorry and I seek Your forgiveness. I ask You also to strengthen me and lead me further in You. I know Your way is the only way for me. Give me, if You will, whatever I need to sustain me as I wait upon you.

I thank You that You hear me. You have promised to hear me always when I earnestly and diligently cry out to You. May I never forget this.

I have this present picture of a theatrical set up. I am centre stage, playing out my life, whilst You stand unobtrusively in the wings, ever ready to prompt me and to furnish me with the next piece of material to proceed with my life’s story. I thank You for this image. I pray that I will see You always, waiting there, attending me in the wings of my life.

You raised the psalmist out of grief into a glorious new place. You have done this also with me. I thank You . I press into You that this will continue.

What You did for the psalmist was seen by many .They responded in holy fear and in placing trust in You. May my experience with You likewise be a witness. I don’t want my life to be hidden. Rather, I want it to speak clearly of Your goodness and Your love. May my story witness to many! May I be granted opportunity to touch many lives with Your love, to draw many people into deeper relationship with You. Fit me, if it pleases You, to do this.

Lead me in every venture. Give me whatever patience I need to wait on You, and on Your perfect timing for the rest of my life. Receive this prayer, with my love, in Jesus’ name.              Amen.