#DailyDevotion Are You Ready To Wait Patiently On The LORD?
Psalm 40 I waited patiently for the LORD, and He turned and listened to my cry for help. 2He pulled me out of the pit that would destroy me, out of the mire and clay, and set my feet on a rock, helping me walk firmly.
Waiting. Who wants to wait? I want what I want and I want it now. We seem to be impatient with God often like spoiled children. We treat the LORD like a genie in a bottle and when He doesn’t act immediately, we often lose faith in him. Yet around 14 times in the Psalms and numerous other places in the Old Testament we are told to wait for the LORD. Sometimes David speaks about his waiting on the LORD.
The word for wait in Hebrew is “qavah.” It’s interesting the word translated “patiently” is also “qavah.” It’s often hard to wait, particularly when we’re waiting on the LORD to do something for someone we love. We should not think our Father in heaven is despising or not listening to our prayers. If you ever saw the movie “Bruce Almighty,” you will see a person whom God gives all His power to in order to answer everyone’s prayers. Well Bruce answers everyone’s prayers immediately and exactly how people asked. Well it ends up being a terrible mess. What God did not give Bruce is wisdom. It may seem like God is taking His sweet time in answering our prayers but the LORD takes into account everything when we pray. He looks to the past, the present and the future and sees how our prayers will affect everyone and everything else. He sees how our prayers will affect us. Then the LORD answers our prayers in the manner that is best for us, for everyone else and for what is best for His kingdom. So be patient. It takes a while sometimes for the LORD to line up all the ducks in a row throughout time and space to answer our prayers.
David tells us when he cried for help and waited patiently, the LORD turned and listened to his cry for help. When your faith in the LORD Jesus Christ, you can be certain when you cry to your Father for help, He turns and listens. You are important to Him. You are His child. He is not ignoring you.
When the time was right, the LORD pulled David out of the pit, out of the mire and clay and set his feet on the rock, on full ground. When I was young, I loved running through the marshes. Sometimes, you would step in one place and the mud would suck you down. When you finally got pulled out, you’d lose a shoe or two. But then you get your feet on the lumps of grass. Then you would learn to walk on the lumps of grass. When the LORD pulls us out of the mire, He places us on the Rock, and that Rock is Jesus. Did we stray off the path and that is why we got stuck in the mud? When He unsticks us, let us then look at Jesus and follow Him in His way, along His path, which is the way of the cross. It is the way of self-sacrifice and love for others, particularly your fellow Christians. Walking on the Rock Jesus is to listen to what He says, believe Him and do what He has instructed us.
So when you cry out to the LORD and ask for help, be patient, believe He has heard your prayer and is answering it. As you see Him deliver you from your problem, walk in His ways, on His paths, trusting and doing everything Jesus has taught us.
Heavenly Father, give us Your Holy Spirit, that we may patiently wait on You to answer our prayers in the manner that is best for us and so we may walk in path You have laid for us in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.