I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. (Psalm 40:1)
Considering the anguish articulated in the previous psalm, this prayer composed by David strikes a much different tone — one of joy and appreciation for the relief and deliverance God granted him. In the previous psalm he prayed, “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; do not be silent at my tears” (Psalm 39:12). Now he gives thanks to the Lord because He did hear, and more importantly, He responded. As David sees it, God moved on his behalf because he continued to wait for the Lord to move when He deemed it appropriate. Had he lost hope and given up, would he have continued to cry out? And if not, would the Lord have responded as He did?
The same might be said for Israel at large. Consider just what prompted God to respond to captive Israel when they were under the heel of Pharaoh’s taskmasters. He told Moses, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows” (Exodus 3:7). While it is a fact that God always intended to deliver Israel from their bondage — He had promised this to Abraham — it doesn’t take away from what the cries of His people does to the heart of God. As a loving Father, He inclines His ear to those who hope in Him when there is no logical reason to hope; as a Savior He responds to their cries with deliverance.
If your hopes have not been realized, hope and hope again. Never hesitate to cry out to the Lord as you persevere in the midst of your testing. Wait on Him with the belief that He will hear and will respond. It might stretch you to the point you feel you can’t be stretched any more but, as we see throughout Scripture, He won’t allow you to be broken beyond what He has permitted. It is written that there is coming a day when His people will say, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation” (Isaiah 25:9).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
Recent Comments