Psalm 40 begins with the words: “I waited patiently for the Lord.”
I’ve found waiting for the Lord a hard thing to do. And waiting patiently is harder still.
When the Lord’s timing seems painfully slow, our patience tends to wear down and wear out. We cry out with the writer of Psalm 13: “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?”
A dozen years ago, when I was going through cancer treatments, I found myself spending a great deal of time in hospital waiting rooms. I was also in God’s waiting room. Unsure of the outcome, I waited for his help and healing.
During those months, I was comforted by the words of Psalm 40. While the psalmist, king David, says he waited patiently, he also ends the psalm with a plea for God to send help quickly. “You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!” (40:17).
I wrote a song based on Psalm 40 that follows the terrain of the text: from sinking down in sorrow and guilt to speaking out about God’s help and deliverance. Since the psalm ends with a cry of hopeful waiting, I chose to end the song with that same plea for God to come quickly and end the waiting!
Next week, Linda and I are scheduled to speak at a retreat for pastoral couples at Muskoka Bible Centre. Many of the couples who are coming are waiting on God to come through in the challenges they face (We are too!). Would you pray for us, asking God to use us in our weakness to bring His comfort to others (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Your prayers will make a big difference for us and for these ministry couples! (2 Corinthians 1:11).
Here’s the song I wrote from Psalm 40 called “Waiting”.
Rick and Linda Reed 