MAR. 28, 2014
Waiting
. . .
Read: Psalm
130
Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in
prayer. —Romans
12:12
Day after day for
years Harry shared with the Lord his concern for his son-in-law John who had
turned away from God. But then Harry died. A few months later, John turned back
to God. When his mother-in-law Marsha told him that Harry had been praying for him
every day, John replied, “I waited too long.” But Marsha joyfully shared: “The
Lord is still answering the prayers Harry prayed during his earthly life.”
Harry’s story is an
encouragement to us who pray and wait. He continued “steadfastly in prayer” and
waited patiently (Rom. 12:12).
The author of Psalm
130 experienced waiting in prayer. He said, “I wait for the Lord, my soul
waits” (v.5). He found hope in God because he knew that “with the Lord there is
mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption” (v.7).
Author Samuel Enyia
wrote about God’s timing: “God does not depend on our time. Our time is
chronological and linear but God . . . is timeless. He will act at the fullness
of His time. Our prayer . . . may not necessarily rush God into action, but . .
. places us before Him in fellowship.”
What a privilege we
have to fellowship with God in prayer and to wait for the answer in the
fullness of His time.
Pray on! Pray on!
Cease not to pray,
And should the answer
tarry, wait;
Thy God will come,
will surely come,
And He can never come
too late. —Chisholm
God may delay our
request, but He will never disappoint our trust.
Insight
Psalm 130 is one of
the pilgrim songs (Pss. 120–134) the people of Israel sang as they made their
way to the temple to celebrate the three national festivals (Deut. 16:16). In
this psalm, the writer was deeply distressed by his own sinfulness and
earnestly cried out for God’s mercy (130:1-2). Yet, he was able to confidently
affirm, “But there is forgiveness with You” (v.4). Finding hope in God’s Word
(v.5) and being assured that “with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is
abundant redemption” (v.7), he patiently waited for God’s pardon and removal of
his guilt (vv.6,8). In response, he invited the congregation to fear God (v.4)
and to celebrate His unmerited and undeserved grace (v.8).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
