I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 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 the Lord and put their trust in Him.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire-but my ears you have opened-burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, “Here I am, I have come-it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”
It’s hard to wait.
When we go hiking as a family mom and dad often find ourselves waiting. What are we waiting for? Most of the time it’s for short legs to catch up to our long ones! Many times we have to intervene and end up either holding hands or hoisting up tired feet onto shoulders. But I can imagine that there is more waiting on their part than ours. The waiting that I am speaking of is the desire for change. The desire to get bigger and to be able to tackle the mountain
the way that mom and dad do. Many of us have desires and things that we wish would happen. We all like to have that sense of completion and the fulfillment of accomplishment.
The last time that I hiked up Bridger Peak (not to the top mind you) I asked a weary traveler heading down, “How much farther is it?” to which he replied, “Well that depends, how far are you going?” my response, “not too much farther.” His answer was spot on and revealed the ridiculousness of my question when he answered, “Well then I guess you’re almost there.”
I’m impatient and my impatience reveals the heart of a child who so desperately wishes to have things figured out.
Waiting and Trusting
David brings us into the heart of worship when he talks about waiting on the Lord here in Psalm 40. Waiting and trusting are difficult because what it requires is dying to self. Waiting and trusting require putting aside our agendas and looking to the will of God. But David reminds us that there are blessings in waiting and trusting in God. The one who waits sings a new song and decides that the idolatry in our hearts is not equal to the reward of trusting in the Lord.
The Heart of Christ
As we consider where we struggle to wait and trust in God, David points to the beauty of the blessing of our waiting. And as we wrestle to give up that which we are trusting in instead of God we can wrestle with hope because as David reminds us in verse 8 of Psalm 40, we hear the words of Christ from Hebrews 10:7, “Here I am-it is written about me in the scroll-I have come to do your will, my God.”
The patient heart of our Savior has always been to do the will of the Father. Where our hearts are frail and sinful, his is strong and faithful. His perfect sacrifice of love, justifies and purifies us and by faith we wait and trust knowing that no matter what, we’ll never be separated from our Father. Our verdict is secure, we are loved and adored. This frees us to let go of what we think we need to do to prove ourselves worthy. It frees us to be rescued, lifted from the muck and mire onto the shoulders of our loving father and what better place to wait and trust.
Soli Deo Gloria
Impress them upon your children... 